Press Release
Berkeley County man indicted for drug and firearms charges
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of West Virginia
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Herman Terrell Govan, of Inwood, West Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Martinsburg on January 23, 2019 on drug and firearms charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Govan, age 35, is charged with three counts of “Distribution of Heroin” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.” Govan is accused of selling heroin in December 2017 and January 2018 in Berkeley County. Govan, a person prohibited from having firearms, is also accused of possessing a .30 caliber rifle.
Govan faces up to 20 years incarceration and a $1,000,000 fine for each of the heroin counts. He faces up to 10 years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the firearms count. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Project Safe Neighborhoods is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Helman is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Updated February 5, 2019
Topics
Drug Trafficking
Opioids
Firearms Offenses
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Component