Fourteen indicted on drug distribution and firearms charges

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Fourteen West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia residents are facing multiple drug and firearms charges after being indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Wheeling on October 3, 2018, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

The 28-count indictment alleges a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Mineral, Hardy, Hampshire Counties, and elsewhere from August 2017 to June 2018, as well as multiple firearms offenses. Those named in the indictment are:

•    Nathan E. Carpenter, age 28, of Elk Garden, West Virginia
•    Michael Corey Alt, age 34, of Elk Garden, West Virginia
•    Corey Bircher, age 25, of Elk Garden, West Virginia
•    Tyler Allen Whitacre, age 25, of Elk Garden, West Virginia
•    Michael Lee Gray, II, age 287, of Marshall, Virginia
•    Brittany Baker, age 22, of Elk Garden, West Virginia
•    Phillip Ryan Williams, age 24, of McCool, Maryland
•    Levi Doman, age 31, of Keyser, West Virginia
•    Joseph Nathaniel Hagan, 35, of Petersburg, West Virginia
•    Gypsy Rene Winkler, 19, of Keyser, West Virginia
•    Michael Dwayne Cosner, 39, of Elk Garden, West Virginia
•    Bryan Keith Presgraves, II, 20, of Luray, Virginia 
•    Steve William Gray, age 38, of Luray, Virginia
•    Chance Allen Good, age 25, of Stanley, Virginia

During the investigation, more than $14,000 was seized, along with four firearms, a set of brass knuckles, a money counter, a security system, a street bike, and a piece of property on Elk Garden Highway in Elk Garden, West Virginia.

“Every day, we see individuals who apparently still believe that they are above the law.  They are not, and my office will relentlessly pursue and prosecute them.  Firearms are often involved with these criminal activities, and our law enforcement partners and citizens are consequently at even greater risk.  We will use all of our resources to prosecute those who continue to pose a danger to law enforcement and our communities,” said Powell.   

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, The West Virginia State Police, and the Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force investigated. 

The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.