U.S. Attorney Will Thompson Presents 2024 Law Enforcement Awards

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Will Thompson honored more than 80 federal, state and local law enforcement professionals today for their outstanding contributions to investigations and cases in the Southern District of West Virginia.

The 2024 Law Enforcement Awards, presented during a ceremony at the Robert C. Byrd U.S. Courthouse in Charleston, recognize both invaluable assistance within specific categories of cases and office initiatives as well as overall exemplary service over the past year.

“Today, we recognize and honor those who did an outstanding job serving and protecting our communities during the past year. They provided vitally important assistance to our office in the pursuit of justice,” Thompson said. “We also celebrate and promote the cooperation among agencies. Through these awards, we salute collaborative efforts, including joint investigations and partnerships formed to spearhead criminal justice initiatives. These are so crucial to our shared mission.”

Law enforcement officers and organizations were honored in the following categories:

Category: White Collar Crime

Outstanding White Collar Crime Case: U.S. vs David K. Smith et al. (3:23-cr-5)

• Port Security Specialist Todd A. Childers, United States Coast Guard (USCG)
• Marine Science Technician First Class Caitlin Furman, USCG
• Marine Science Technician First Class Adam Krukowski, USCG
• Marine Science Technician First Class Lenn L. Pitt, USCG
• Chief Warrant Officer Michael D. Rushane, USCG
• Chief of Inspections Geoffrey Scibek, USCG
• Special Agent Nick Gillispie, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
• Special Agent Kim Taylor, USEPA
• Environmental Inspector Supervisor Ryan Harbison, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

An investigation revealed that David K. Smith, 69, of Paducah, Kentucky, was the sole owner and officer of Western River Assets LLC and River Marine Enterprises LLC. Western River Assets owned a towboat, Gate City, that docked along the West Virginia shore of the Big Sandy River.

The U.S. Coast Guard inspected the Gate City towboat and issued an administrative order in November 2017 that required Smith to remove all oil and hazardous materials from the Gate City towboat. This administrative order said in part that the Gate City presented an “imminent and substantial threat to the public health or welfare of the environment because of a threatened discharge of oil from the vessel.”

On or about January 10, 2018, the Gate City towboat sank while docked along the West Virginia shore of the Big Sandy River. The sinking discharged oil and other substances into the Big Sandy, leaving a sheen on the river and oily deposits beneath the surface. As a direct result of the Gate City’s sinking and oil spill, the City of Kenova, West Virginia, closed its municipal drinking water intake for three days. Various regulatory agencies had to take actions and expend resources to respond to the spill.

Smith pleaded guilty individually and on behalf of River Marine Enterprises and Western River Assets to the discharge of refuse into navigable waters on October 17, 2023. Smith was subsequently sentenced to one year and six months of federal probation, including six months on home detention. River Marine Enterprises and Western River Assets were each fined $100,000 and placed on corporate probation for five years. The defendants were also ordered to pay $1,856,957.92 in restitution, and the LLC defendants are prohibited from operating any business while on probation.

Outstanding White Collar Crime Case: U.S. vs Tabatha Deavers et al. (2:23-cr-14)

• Inspector Melissa Belmont, United States Postal Inspection Service
• United States Secret Service Special Agent Bryan Cruickshank (now with the United States Postal Inspection Service)
• Special Agent Gary Hilton, U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations
• Special Agent Brian Horvath, United States Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General
• Detective Brian Middleton, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office

From approximately December 2020 through at least December 1, 2022, Brittany King, 35, of East Bank, and Tabatha Deavers, 30, of Charleston, were employed by a Kanawha County business that cleaned local office spaces. King and Deavers unlawfully obtained the personal identification information of multiple individuals while cleaning these area businesses. They also rerouted the mail of their identity theft victims, which allowed King and Deavers to open lines of credit and bank accounts and obtain loans and credit cards in the names of their identity theft victims.

King and Deavers caused a loss of at least $260,239.19 to more than 10 victims as a result of their fraudulent schemes. They stole money and property from individuals, lenders, financial institutions, car dealerships and other companies.

King and Deavers pleaded guilty in the fall of 2023 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. They were both sentenced to five years in prison. The mother of Tabatha Deavers, Amy Deavers, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with this case. Amy Deavers admitted that she helped access and attempt to transfer a veteran’s stolen disability benefits as part of the identity theft scheme.

Category: Project Safe Childhood

Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched by the Department of Justice in 2006. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Outstanding PSC Case: U.S. vs Thomas John Mills (5:21-cr-96)

• Detective Wayne Long, Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office
• Detective Jarred Payne, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office

On or about March 10, 2020, Thomas John Mills, 37, of Beckley, was released from jail following a conviction for child abuse causing injury against a 15-year-old female victim. After being released from jail through October 2020, Mills communicated via his cell phone and Facebook Messenger to coerce the same15-year-old female victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct including masturbation and the lascivious exhibition of her genitals, for the purpose of creating images and videos of this conduct. Mills had the minor take pictures and videos to send to him and also had her participate in live video chats where he told her to engage in sexually explicit conduct. The Court described the case as “one of the worst set of circumstances” it has seen.” Mills pleaded guilty to production of child pornography. On February 23, 2023, Mills was sentenced to 30 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and is required to register as a sex offender.

Category: Drug Trafficking

Outstanding Drug Trafficking Case: Operation Smoke & Mirrors

U.S. v. Jasper Wemh et al. (2:23-cr-4), U.S. v. Antonio Jeffries et al. (2:23-cr-31), U.S. v. Alexandria Estep et al. (2:23-cr-33), U.S. v. Ildiberto Gonzalez Jr. et al. (1:23-cr-32)

• Digital Forensic Specialist Kelsey Billups, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):
• Paralegal Specialist Amy Boyd, FBI
• Senior Digital Forensic Examiner Melinda Cash, FBI
• Tactical Specialist Rose Chestnut, FBI
• Intelligence Analyst Sarah Cole, FBI
• Special Agent Mark Phillip Gunther II, FBI
• Special Agent Jennifer L. King, FBI
• Senior Financial Investigator Dean A. Lauffer, FBI
• Evidence Technician Joshua VanMeter, FBI
• Keven Allen, Charleston Police Department, Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT)
• Detective Matthew Cooper, St. Albans Police Department, MDENT
• Corporal Wes Daniels, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
• Detective David Harvey, South Charleston Police Department, MDENT
• Detective Jordan Hilbert, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
• Corporal Paul J. Hodge, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, MDENT
• Corporal Brian Hudson, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, MDENT
• Corporal Seth Johnson, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
• Administrative Assistant Lori Lipscomb, MDENT
• Corporal Owen Morris, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
• Lieutenant Justin Raynes, Nitro Police Department, MDENT
• Detective Nigel Waller, Charleston Police Department, MDENT
• Deputy Chief of Police Jason Webb, Former MDENT Commander, Charleston Police Department
• Corporal Michelle R. Shaffer, West Virginia State Police
• Special Agent Ambra Dunn, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA):
• Detective Alexander Bobinger, Charleston Police Department
• Special Agent Dan Karshenas, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

The eight-month investigation dubbed Operation Smoke and Mirrors resulted in the largest seizure of methamphetamine to date in the state of West Virginia. It disrupted a drug trafficking organization (DTO) with connections to California and the southern border that was responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl in Charleston.

Law enforcement obtained more than 50 search warrants, culminating in waves of arrests in March 2023. Law enforcement seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and $935,000 in cash.

Four federal indictments were returned charging 32 individuals for their roles in the DTO. Another 24 individuals were charged in state criminal complaints. Thirty of the federal defendants pleaded guilty. Another was convicted by a federal jury after a two-day trial. The remaining federal defendant, Deayria Eyshay Willis, 25, of Charleston, is a fugitive. Nearly two dozen of the federal defendants were sentenced to prison. Eight of those defendants were sentenced to 10 years or more of imprisonment.

This investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. It is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Critical to the success of this strategy is harnessing the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies while in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.

Outstanding Drug Trafficking Case:  U.S. vs Raymond Jaquette Howard, et al. (3:22-cr-102)

• Special Agent Ben Henrich, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA):
• Special Agent Brian Roscoe, DEA
• Special Agent Matt Yount, DEA
• Corporal K.L. Adkins, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
• First Sergeant P.W. Boyles, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
• Captain Lacy J. Deskins, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
• Sergeant J.R. Garnes, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
• First Sergeant J.M. Parde, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
• Detective Jon Vernon, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
• Lieutenant T.L. Weese, West Virginia State Police, Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West
• Sergeant A.M. Whittington, West Virginia State Police

On September 22, 2021, Howard, 34, of Las Vegas, Nevada, sold approximately 1.01 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant at a Huntington motel. On November 16, 2021, law enforcement searched Howard’s motel room and found approximately 4.6 pounds of fentanyl and a loaded Glock 43x pistol hidden in the ceiling. On December 24, 2021, Howard was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over by law enforcement officers. The vehicle was searched an officers found approximately 399.6 grams of fentanyl in a backpack. Howard admitted that the fentanyl was his and that he intended to sell the fentanyl or direct others to sell the fentanyl on his behalf.

Howard pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. He was sentenced on January 17, 2023, to 14 years and eight months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

A related defendant, Jamie Lyn Music, 41, also of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl.

This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), an enforcement surge that has sought to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.

Category: Violent Crime and Project Safe Neighborhoods

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Outstanding Violent Crime and Project Safe Neighborhood Case: U.S v. Randell Lee Proctor (2:23-cr-74)

• Special Agent Jarrod Chittum, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
• Special Agent Mari Woodford, ATF
• Detective Chris Boner, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
• Deputy Nathan Brill, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
• Deputy T.D. Burks, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
• Deputy D.J. Dorsey, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office
• Trooper D.M. Copley, West Virginia State Police
• Trooper Larry Holstein III, West Virginia State Police
• Forensic Scientist Farrah S. Machado, West Virginia State Police
• Corporal S.W. Perdue, West Virginia State Police
• Sergeant Joseph Robinson, West Virginia State Police

On December 29, 2022, Randell Lee Proctor, 45, of Belle, was engaged in a domestic altercation with his girlfriend while armed with a handgun. Proctor fired one round into the air while walking through a neighborhood in Rand. He fired a second round into the ceiling of a front porch at a residence where the girlfriend was inside. Proctor then entered the residence and began physically assaulting the girlfriend. Law enforcement officers responded after receiving complaints about the gunshots and found Proctor inside the residence. They recovered a Hi-Point, model C9, 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Proctor pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Proctor had four prior convictions for domestic battery in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. He was sentenced on December 7, 2023, to four years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

Outstanding Violent Crime and Project Safe Neighborhood Case:  U.S. vs Thomas Ray III (3:21-cr-57)

• Officer Ernie Blackburn, Huntington Police Department
• Corporal Nicholas Bloomfield, Huntington Police Department
• Captain Steve Compton, Huntington Police Department
• PFC Angela Faircloth, Huntington Police Department
• Sergeant Steve Fitz, Huntington Police Department
• Detective Christopher Hurst, Huntington Police Department
• Officer Matt Keesee, Huntington Police Department
• Sergeant Joseph Koher, Huntington Police Department
• Sergeant Adrian Roasario, Huntington Police Department
• Corporal David Rowsey, Huntington Police Department
• Special Agent Jarrod Chittum, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

On October 23, 2020, Thomas Ray III, 54, of Huntington, entered an Artisan Avenue residence in Huntington where he physically assaulted two women, brandished a firearm, pointed it at the forehead of a third woman and fired two rounds into the air. Officers responding to the resulting 911 calls located Ray in an alley several blocks from Artisan Avenue. Ray fired a round at one officer and continued to flee. Ray fired several more shots at officers while fleeing before they returned fire and wounded him in the leg.

Ray was still holding the firearm while on the ground and resisted being placed into custody. Officers recovered the firearm, a loaded Smith & Wesson Model M&P Shield .40-caliber pistol, after Ray tossed it to the ground. Officers also found .40-caliber ammunition and a Harrington and Richardson revolver in Ray’s pants pockets.

A federal jury found Ray guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm on July 12, 2023, following a two-day trial. Ray knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for forcible detention while armed and giving a false bomb or gas alarm in Will County, Illinois, Circuit Court on February 28, 2012, and for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on December 9, 2013.

At the time of this offense, Ray was serving a term of federal supervised release for the 2013 conviction. Ray was sentenced on December 18, 2023, to 12 years in prison, including two years for committing a crime while on supervised release.

Outstanding Violent Crime and Project Safe Neighborhood Case: U.S. v. Stephen Simmons (3:23-cr-21)

• Senior Special Agent Jason J. Berty, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
• Branch Chief David Bullard, ATF
• Special Agent Jarrod C. Chittum, ATF
• Special Agent Kachine R. Jonese, ATF     
• Special Agent Sean McNees, ATF
• Special Agent Mari Woodford, ATF
• Detective Mathew Cooper, St. Albans Police Department
• Lieutenant Brandon Perry, St. Albans Police Department
• Sergeant J.R. Farry, Nitro Police Department

On January 3, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the residence of Stephen Simmons, 41, of Nitro. Law enforcement seized two Glock switches, two drop-in auto sears, six firearm silencers, and more than 40 firearms including a Ruger, model 10/22, .22-caliber rifle that was reported stolen in Boone County.

Simmons pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered machinegun for possessing one of the Glock switches, admitting that he did not register device in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law.

Investigators documented Simmons’ substantial history of unlawful drug use and addiction. Their investigation showed that Simmons was illegally using drugs at the same time he possessed firearms, silencers, and devices designed solely to convert semiautomatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns. The Court concluded that Simmons was an unlawful user of controlled substances, and as a result was prohibited from possessing firearms on January 3, 2023. Simmons was sentenced on September 12, 2023, to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Drug and Violent Crime Task Force of the Year: Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT)

The U.S. Attorney’s Award for Drug and Violent Crime Task Force of the Year recognizes outstanding cooperative law enforcement efforts and endeavors that have significant and lasting community impact. This award is a highlight of our annual ceremony because it not only honors a task force for one or more specific cases but also for their continuing role in significant investigations and prosecutions.

The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

This year’s award recognizes MDENT for its role in Operation Smoke and Mirrors.

Law Enforcement Officers of the Year

Our Law Enforcement Officer of the Year awards honor individual federal, state, and local officers selected for work that consistently stands out in significant cases.

• Federal Law Enforcement Officers of the Year: Special Agent Terrance “Terry” Taylor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
• State Law Enforcement Officers of the Year: Captain Lacy Deskins, West Virginia State Police
• Local Law Enforcement Officers of the Year: Deputy Jason A. Redden, Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office

Each of these individuals has distinguished himself in multiple cases prosecuted by this office. This award also honors them for their consistently outstanding contributions throughout their careers to the criminal justice system and the communities they serve.

Outstanding Community Partner: West Virginia State University

West Virginia State University has been a committed contributor as a West Virginia Civil Rights Stakeholder and a gracious host of the Stakeholders’ quarterly meetings. The Civil Rights Stakeholders are an array of federal, state and local agencies and organizations committed to addressing and responding to hate crimes and incidents in the Southern District of West Virginia. 

West Virginia State University is also a valued partner with this office in the advancement of the Department of Justice’s United Against Hate initiative, a nationwide initiative to combat unlawful acts of hate and improve hate crime reporting.

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.

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