Seven individuals in Pocahontas County are facing drug-related charges following the conclusion of a yearlong investigation. The Pocahontas County Sheriff's Department and the Marlinton detachment of the West Virginia State Police arrested six of the individuals while the seventh is already behind bars in the Martinsburg Correctional Center.
According to a prepared statement from the Pocahontas County Prosecuting Attorney, Brenda Walton, 42, Charles Sheets, 37, Teresa Morrison, 42, all of Marlinton; Randy Hall, 52, and Josh Wiley, 24, both of Hillsboro; and Jonathan Williams, 25, of Virginia were all arrested Thursday for the illegal distribution of controlled substances and are incarcerated in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail. Travis Dean of Marlinton was also charged and is already incarcerated at the Martinsburg Correctional Center for parole violations.
According to Pocahontas County Prosecuting Attorney Donna Price, all seven are facing one count of delivery of a controlled substance. Additional charges could be made when the Pocahontas County grand jury hands up indictments next week, she said.
"This was strictly slated for the grand jury on Tuesday," Price said. "This has been going on since last summer."
According to Price, most of the arrests involved prescription drugs.
Pocahontas County Sheriff David Jonese said the arrests were made in cooperation with the West Virginia State Police. Police began the process arresting the individuals at 7 a.m. on Thursday and began transporting them the the TVRJ around 11:30 a.m.
"I think this is a good start of a process to eliminate the drug problem in the county," Jonese said.
Price said bond was set at $15,000 to $25,000 cash only each depending on the charges.
