A Morgan County Grand Jury returned bills of indictment against 22 people when they met to hear cases in Morgan County Circuit Court on Tuesday, January 3.
Close to half of those indicted were residents from outside of Morgan County. Crimes ranged from delivery of drugs resulting in death to weapons charges to financial schemes.
Those accused of the crimes will be arraigned in Circuit Court on January 17, when they will enter pleas and future hearings will be set in their cases.
Drug delivery
Joshua L. Fink, 29, of Berkeley Springs was indicted for drug delivery resulting in death. He is accused of delivering fentanyl to Douglas Scott Barnes in January 2021, and thereby causing Barnes’ death. The case was investigated by Chief Tony Link of the Berkeley Springs Police Department.
Samantha M. Bailey, 28, of Strasburg, Va. was indicted for possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver the drug, possession of methamphetamine and conspiracy with Jeffrey Coffey and Michelle Lyons to commit drug crimes.
Coffey, 26, of Manassas, Va. was indicted for possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver the drug, possession of methamphetamine and conspiracy.
Lyons, 61, of Berkeley Springs was indicted for possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver the drug, possession of methamphetamine and conspiracy.
The three are accused of working together to deliver the marijuana in mid-October of 2022. The case was investigated by Deputy Diehl of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.
Brandon S. Orvis, 27, of Essexville, Md. was indicted for possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver. He is accused of committing the crime in August of 2022. The case was investigated by Trooper Ward of the West Virginia State Police.
Stacie M. Schaaf, 38, of Berkeley Springs was indicted for possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver the drug, conspiracy and contributing to the delinquency of a minor – all in September 2022. Schaaf is accused of conspiring with a minor to deliver marijuana. The case was investigated by Deputy Shambaugh of the Morgan County Sheriffs Department.
DUI & drugged driving
Michael L. Shrader, 28, of Big Pool, Md. was indicted by two police agencies for driving and drug charges. Shrader was indicted for fleeing from law enforcement while under the influence, fleeing with reckless disregard for the safety of others, driving suspended, passing in a no passing zone, speeding, possession of suboxone and possession of methamphetamine, having fraudulent registration, driving while his license was suspended and possession of methamphetamine.
Shrader is accused of altering the registration and plate sticker for a vehicle, driving on a suspended license and having meth in August of 2022. A month later, he is accused of fleeing from police who tried to stop him for a registration violation near the 7-11, and leading officers on a high-speed chase into Jimstown, down Sandmine Road, onto Fairview Drive and down River Road, where he reached speeds of 90 miles per hour. Police found drugs and paraphernalia in his vehicle when they were able to stop him. The cases against Shrader were investigated by Deputy Roper of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department and Trooper Meyers of the West Virginia State Police.
Kevin D. Buser, 49, of Hancock was indicted for DUI, third offense; DUI – habitual user; possession of fentanyl and driving left of center. Buser is accused of driving while under the influence of drugs and possessing fentanyl in August 2022. He was previously convicted of three counts of driving while impaired in Carroll County, Md. in 2019.
Patrick P. Snarr, 37, of Winchester, Va. was indicted for DUI, third offense; aggravated DUI and operating a motor vehicle without the Interlock System. Snarr is accused of driving with a blood alcohol level of .165 in November of 2022. He has previously been convicted of DWI in 2021 in Warren County, Va. and in 2015 in Fairfax County, Va. Snarr is not supposed to drive a vehicle unless it is equipped with a blood alcohol monitoring Interlock System. The case was investigated by Deputy Shambaugh of the Morgan County Sheriffs Department.
Armed assault, domestic
Angelique N. Stewart, 32, of Paw Paw was indicted on four counts of wanton endangerment with a firearm, three counts of gross neglect creating the risk of serious bodily injury, domestic battery and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Stewart is accused of pointing a .22 rifle at a domestic partner and their three children during an incident in August 2022. During that same incident, she is accused of striking an adult victim with a wooden board. Child Protective Services removed the children as a result of the event and what police called poor living conditions in the home. The case was investigated by Deputy Knotts of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.
Leonard C. Stohl Jr., 40 of Berkeley Springs was indicted for fraud in connection with an access device and joyriding. He is accused of using a debit card belong to a family member in October 2022 and taking a vehicle without permission to use it. The case was investigated by Trooper Meyers of the West Virginia State Police.
Hugh D. Cook Jr., 64, of Cross Junction, Va. was indicted for wanton endangerment with a firearm, domestic assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Cook is accused of pointing a 12-gauge shotgun at a family member and threatening to shoot that person in June of 2022. Cook was previously convicted of making terroristic threats, so is not permitted to possess a firearm. The case was investigated by Deputy Knotts of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.
Sex abuse & offenders
James D. Funkhouser, 72, of Hedgesville was indicted for first degree sexual abuse and sexual abuse by a person in a position of trust to a child. He is accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a minor female who was under his care in August of 2022. The case was investigated by Trooper Bryan of the West Virginia State Police.
Vincent C. Crabill, 31, of Hedgesville was indicted for failure to update sex offender registry, second offense. Crabill is accused of failing to report to State Police between August of 2021 and June of 2022 that his employment with a trash company had ended the previous year. The case was investigated by Trooper Branham of the West Virginia State Police.
Roy W. Rankin Jr., 36, of Berkeley Springs was indicted on three counts of failure to update the sex offender registry, second offense. Rankin is accused of failing to tell State Police that, between July 2022 and September 2022, he had a new email address, a new cell phone number and a new social media account. The case was investigated by Trooper J. See of the West Virginia State Police.
David W. Weese, 60, of Berkeley Springs was indicted on two counts of failure to update sex offender registration. He is accused of failing to tell State Police his new cell phone number and provider between March and August of 2022. Weese was previously convicted of failure to update his registry in 2008 in Warren County, Va. The case was investigated by Troopers Meyers and Ward of the West Virginia State Police.
Andy C. Young, 42, of Martinsburg was indicted for failure to update sex offender registration. He is accused of failing to tell State Police in June of 2022 that he was moving to Berkeley County. The case was investigated by Trooper Branham of the West Virginia State Police.
Fraud & financial crimes
Justin A. Brittingham, 35, of Berkeley Springs was indicted for fraudulent schemes. He is accused of using the debit card of a deceased man to make purchases at numerous stores in the region, from Walmart to the Locked Door. Investigators say the victim’s bank account went from over $35,000 in March of 2022 to just $388 in August. Brittingham is married to the daughter of the deceased man’s ex-wife. The case was investigated by Capt. Stapleton of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department.
Adam L. Ginevan, 46, of Paw Paw was indicted for grand larceny and destruction of property. Ginevan is accused of cutting a catalytic converter out of a Ford F350 truck belonging to Bill Hayes in July of 2022. The case was investigated by Officer Yonker of the Paw Paw Police Department.
Joseph A. Kerr, 36, of Berkeley Springs was indicted for uttering and conspiracy. He is accused of writing a check from another man’s account to Ashley Sansone, who was also indicted by the grand jury for forgery and conspiracy. The pair is accused of committing the check scheme in February of 2022, and conspiring with a third person – Jonathan Nichols – to commit the theft. Nichols, 33, was indicted for conspiracy. The case was investigated by Trooper Nazelrod of the West Virginia State Police.
