The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley This home, in Glenmore, was recently seized as a known ‘drug house’ by local officials and auctioned off to a new owner.

ELKINS — Local police officials recently seized a known “drug house” in Randolph County and auctioned the home off to a new owner.

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crime Task Force performed the operation, officials said.

Randolph County Sheriff Rob Elbon told The Inter-Mountain that the home, located on Mill Brook Street in Glenmore, was the first “drug house” to be seized and sold in the county, but he noted it wouldn’t be the last.

“That is the first seized property we’ve actually taken as a ‘drug house,'” Elbon said. “It’s the first of what I hope is many. We have to develop a pattern and make multiple arrests of the residents before we can seize a house. We arrested the people that lived at this particular residence several times for selling drugs.”

Elbon said that Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Parker pursued all available legal options under West Virginia Code to seize the property in Randolph County Circuit Court.

“This process came to fruition and Michael Parker jumped all over it once he realized everything was in place,” Elbon said. “We talked about it and developed a plan to reach our goal of seizing that property.

“He took everything through the Circuit Court level, pushed it all through, and the Task Force sold it. That money will go right back into doing the same thing to another property where people are selling drugs.”

Elbon added that the neighbors of the residence were helpful through the entire process. He noted he is happy that they can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Those folks were fantastic and very patient, because it took two years for this to come to fruition,” Elbon said. “We had multiple phone calls with many of the neighbors and some were frustrated.

“It’s a cycle and a system of how it works, and I understand why they were frustrated, because if I had something like that next to my house, I would feel the same way. But they hung with us and provided us with information and things that were vital to that investigation when we needed it. They should feel proud that they helped take care of that situation.”

The Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crime Task Force is made up of multiple agencies including the Elkins and Buckhannon Police Departments, Barbour, Upshur and Randolph County Sheriff’s Offices, West Virginia State Police, ATF, DEA, and U.S. Forest Service.

“I’m proud of the guys and how this investigation worked out,” Elbon said. “We are looking for tips and information from people who see a lot of activity from houses they suspect drugs are being sold at.”

For information or tips, call the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office at 304-636-3100. Seized properties and other items such as retired RCSO vehicles can be found at gov.deals.com.