Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun Crimes

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Thomas Matthew Blankenship, 39, of Akron, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and a quantity of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 10, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Blankenship on a warrant as he left a residence in the Pecks Mill area of Logan County, West Virginia. After handcuffing Blankenship, officers found approximately 95 grams of fentanyl, 11 grams of methamphetamine, and a loaded Smith and Wesson, model M&P 9 Shield, 9mm semi-automatic pistol on his person. Blankenship admitted that he possessed the drugs and intended to distribute them. Blankenship further admitted that he possessed the pistol to protect himself, the drugs, and any money from selling the drugs. 

Blankenship has an extensive criminal history that includes numerous prior felony convictions for felonious assault, improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation, tampering with evidence, trafficking in heroin, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer.

Blankenship is scheduled to be sentenced on August 3, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $5.25 million fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the West Virginia State Police and the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.

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. 2:22-cr-197.

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