The first Monongalia County grand jury of 2024 returned 97 indictments for 85 individuals during the session held Jan. 10-12 at the Monongalia County Justice Center.
This is a significant drop from the previous sessions held in September and May 2023, which returned 139 and 150, respectively.
Defendants face a wide range of charges from shoplifting to attempted murder. The most common charges include drug possession and distribution, fraud and larceny, sexual assault and abuse, domestic violence, sex offender registration violations, and DUI-related offenses.
On the list is one of the individuals involved in the June 10, 2023, shootout that began on Van Voorhis Road and ended at Cowgirlz Lounge on Earl L. Core Road in Dellslow. Tre Tramal Waddy is charged with attempted first-degree murder for his alleged role in the incident that police say involved gunfire in several locations in Morgantown.
Waddy evaded arrest for over six months until he was located in Fairmont in December 2023 and taken into custody by U.S. Marshals.
Three others, Michael S. Scott, Phineas Chaplin, and Rachel Gaston were taken into custody that day and are facing multiple drug charges in U.S. District Court after being indicted in November 2023. They are currently scheduled for trial in June.
The man accused of starting a fire at the Church of Morning Glory on Mason-Dixon Highway on Oct. 22, 2023, is also among those indicted. Tylor Fortune is facing charges for second-degree arson, breaking and entering, and felony destruction of property after causing over $2,500 in damages.
An 18-year-old woman, Alyssa Bess, said to be involved in what police described as a “melee” between a group of teenagers in October 2023 on Millan Street in Westover, was also among those formally charged by the grand jury. She is accused of malicious assault and two counts of battery. The indictment and police criminal complaint allege she struck one of the victims with brass knuckles.
An employee of the WVU Medicine Pain Management Center, Elizabeth Yost, is facing embezzlement charges after she allegedly pocketed cash meant to be deposited in J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital accounts. The criminal complaint filed by police states approximately $7,948.60 is believed to have been embezzled by Yost.
The jurors returned multiple indictments for a few individuals, including repeat shoplifters Barry Eugene Dragovich and Jewelie L. George. Dragovich appears on five indictments, all of which include third or subsequent offense shoplifting charges at stores such as Menard’s, Walmart and Smoker Friendly.
George is charged along with Dragovich on two of those indictments as well as a third indictment charging her with shoplifting from Target. They both have previous shoplifting convictions.
An indictment is only a formal charge given by the court, stating the accusations being made. All defendants are to remain innocent until proven guilty.
Arraignment hearings for the indicted will begin in Monongalia County Circuit Court at the end of January.
The next Monongalia County grand jury will be held in early May.
