The Inter-Mountain photo by Taylor McKinnie Eric Lynn Armstrong, right, with attorney James Hawkins Jr., left, in Randolph County Circuit Court on Jan. 13.

ELKINS — A Randolph County man entered a plea and was sentenced this week to one to three years in prison for attempting to deliver controlled substances in 2024.

Eric Lynn Armstrong, 42, plead guilty by way of Alford plea to one count of attempted delivery of a controlled substance, a felony.

He was sentenced to not less than one, nor more than three years in prison by Randolph County Circuit Court Judge David Wilmoth.

Armstrong was initially indicted by a Randolph County grand jury in July on two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, second offense, a felony; one count of possession of a controlled substance, and one count of knowingly, keeping or maintaining a dwelling, building, or other structure or place for the purpose of using or selling controlled substances, both misdemeanors.

At the hearing’s start, Assistant Prosecutor Colin Henning informed the court that an agreement had been reached and, as part of that agreement, Armstrong wished to be sentenced directly after entering into the plea. Armstrong’s attorney, James Hawkins, Jr., confirmed this to the court.

Armstrong entered into an Alford plea, also known as a Kennedy plea, meaning he did not have to admit to the criminal act and could assert his innocence, but he still accepted the imposition of a sentence.

Before Armstrong entered the plea, Henning said that, on July 30, 2024, then-Deputy T. J. Knotts obtained a search warrant for a wanted person who was suspected to be at a residence in Elkins. Upon execution of the search warrant, Knotts came across Armstrong inside the residence. Armstrong was not the wanted person Knotts was searching for.

“Upon looking around after entering the house, (Knotts) observed many items related to the sale and distribution of illegal substances,” Henning told the court. “(Knotts) had requested consent from Mr. Armstrong to do that search… (Knotts) located a large amount of a white powdery substance, which (Knotts) believed to be heroin or fentanyl.”

Henning continued that, after obtaining another warrant for the residence, members of the Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force assisted with the search of the premises. The Task Force reportedly found baggies containing powdery substances consistent with either heroin or fentanyl, several baggies containing a clear, crystal-like substance consistent with methamphetamine, empty baggies and digital scales. Henning said the suspected-controlled substances were found in almost every room of the residence.

During an interview with Task Force members, Armstrong said he had been selling fentanyl for “the past several weeks,” Henning told the court. The West Virginia State Police Crime Lab confirmed that the substances found by police were “primarily fentanyl.”

After Armstrong entered into the plea and Wilmoth accepted it, Wilmoth sentenced Armstrong to not less than one, nor more than three years in prison. Wilmoth stated that he believed the sentence was appropriate based upon the charge.