Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Charge

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man has pled guilty to a federal drug crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  Joshua David Ramey, 29, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

“Things just kept getting worse for Ramey – he ran out of gas, had no vehicle registration, no valid driver’s license…then officers discovered a trunk full of methamphetamine and a firearm. Reminds me of a blues song… ‘If it wasn’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have no luck at all,’” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “Living on the wrong side of the law eventually catches up with you. Not bad luck just bad decisions.”

Ramey admitted that on March 13, 2018, near mile marker 34 of I-64 westbound, he had been driving a vehicle which had run out of gas. A deputy with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department stopped with the disabled vehicle and waited for a Courtesy Patrol to arrive for filling up the gas tank. Subsequent investigation determined that the vehicle had no registration and neither occupant of the vehicle, including Ramey who was the driver, had a valid driver’s license. A search of the vehicle’s trunk revealed a white shopping bag that contained four separate plastic baggies containing an approximate combined weight of 471.5 grams of methamphetamine, worth approximately $36,000 in street value. Also recovered from the trunk was a Mossburg .410 shotgun which belonged to Ramey.       

Ramey faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on October 19, 2020.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan A. Keefe and Monica D. Coleman are handling the prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:18-cr-00181.

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