Wickline

ELKINS — Randolph County woman faces a felony drug charge after a police chase over shoplifting allegedly led to the discovery of multiple controlled substances and a “full confession” regarding drug distribution.

Hollie Marie Wickline, 48, is charged with one count of possession with intent to deliver, a felony. She is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $30,000 cash-only bond.

According to the criminal complaint filed by Deputy S.R. Schoonover with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, on July 6, Schoonover was dispatched to the Walmart Supercenter in Elkins in regards to a shoplifting involving one female individual who had fled from the Walmart’s Loss Prevention employees.

A Loss Prevention employee informed Schoonover that the individual who had allegedly shoplifted left the store parking lot in a vehicle and continued eastbound onto Ward Road, the complaint states. With this information, Schoonover began patrolling the western entrance to Ward Road in an attempt to locate the vehicle. As he was in the vicinity of Scott Ford Road, Schoonover observed the vehicle in question and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, however the driver failed to comply with emergency lights and sirens.

The driver of the vehicle then began to accelerate and Schoonover pursued the vehicle through a residential area reaching speeds of up to 47 miles per hour before turning back towards Ward Road, the complaint states. The vehicle then crossed the Scott Ford Bridge and Schoonover reportedly observed the female driver attempt to throw a small backpack over the bridge, but the bag landed in the eastbound lane. The driver then abruptly turned into the Scott Ford boat launch area and Schoonover blocked the vehicle with his own.

The driver, identified as Wickline, was placed in the back of Schoonover’s patrol vehicle and was read her Miranda Rights, the complaint states. Other officers who responded to the scene retrieved the discarded backpack, and upon searching the bag, drug paraphernalia was reportedly located.

According to the complaint, inside the backpack there was, allegedly, multiple individually wrapped baggies with a substance “consistent to meth,” which Schoonover writes is often referred to as “8 balls.” The backpack also reportedly contained, baggies containing a “white powdery substance consistent with fentanyl,” baggies containing a substance “consistent to marijuana,” baggies containing a substance “consistent to heroin” and a scale. All items in the backpack were reportedly indicators consistent to the sale and/or the distribution of controlled substances.

After the Mountain Drug Regional Task Force was notified of the findings, they wished to interview Wickline, the complaint states. The interview was conducted at the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office by the Task Force. During the interview, Wickline allegedly gave a “full confession” of her intentions to sell and distribute the drugs in the backpack, and gave a confession to the contents of the backpack.