Lawrence Grand Jury returns 14 indictments
By Lilly Adkins
BSN Associate Editor
LOUISA — The Lawrence County Grand Jury returned 14 indictments Thursday.
Named in the true bills were:
• Liss Bowen, 33, of Fort Gay, W.Va., charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing methamphetamine, needles and altered smoking pipes on May 21.
• Winfred Scott, 31, of Louisa, charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly possessing fentanyl and syringes on May 27.
• Lonnie B. Burgess, 39, of Sevierville, Tenn., charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance third-degree assault of a police/probation officer and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs for allegedly possessing LSD, physically assaulting or attempting to assault Louisa Police Officer Teddy Newsome and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other substances that impair a driver’s ability to operate a motor vehicle on April 22.
• Ryan Marcum, 35, of Warfield, and Steven Messer, 41, of Fort Gay, W.Va., charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance/complicity and possession of drug paraphernalia/complicity for allegedly, acting alone or in complicity with each other, possessing methamphetamine and altered smoking pipes on May 22.
Messer is additionally charged with first-degree fleeing or evading police and first-degree wanton endangerment for allegedly disregarding signals and commands to stop given by Louisa Police Officer Teddy Newsome with the intent to flee, avoid or elude his arrest, and engaging in conduct that created substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to Newsome as well as Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputies Dwayne Bowen and Tyler Laney on May 22.
• Shelly Triplett, 24, and Travis Lay, 24, both of Louisa, are charged with tampering with physical evidence/complicity; first-degree possession of a controlled substance/complicity and use/possession of drug paraphernalia/complicity for allegedly, acting alone or in complicity with each other, destroying, removing, altering or concealing physical evidence that they believed would be used against them in an official proceeding, and possessing methamphetamine and a syringe on April 10.
Lay is additionally charged with being a first-degree felony offender for having previously been convicted of a felony.
• Jamie N. McCoy, 36 and Kyle M. Harless, 32, both of Louisa, charged with third-degree burglary/complicity for allegedly, acting alone or in complicity with each other, entering and remaining in Walmart of Louisa on July 5 after being banned from the property June 15, 2020, with the intent to commit theft.
Harless is additionally charged with being a second-degree persistent felony offender for having previously been convicted of a felony.
• Anthony Fletcher, 46, of Blaine, charged with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon for allegedly possessing a Taurus Brand .9mm handgun on Aug. 25 after having been previously convicted of a felony in U.S. District Court.
• David Michael Ferguson, 53, of Blaine, charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, second-degree persistent felony offender, tampering with physical evidence and use/possession of drug paraphernalia for allegedly trafficking in approximately seven grams of methamphetamine in multiple baggies and $1,353.26 in cash money with the intent to traffic; having previously been convicted of a felony; destroying, removing, altering or concealing physical evidence that he believed would be used against him in an official proceeding; and possessing two glass pipes on Feb. 26.
• William Blackburn, 37, of an unknown address, charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance for allegedly trafficking in approximately 3.5 grams of methamphetamine on June 1.
• Danny J. Messer, 45, of Kermit, W.Va., charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance for allegedly possessing methamphetamine on July 22.
• Clement Eldridge, 43, of Keaton, charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance, prescription of a controlled substance not in the original container and inadequate silencer for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and neurontin not in the proper container and operating a motor vehicle upon a Kentucky roadway without a proper silencer/muffler as defined in KRS 186.140 on April 4.
• Jason Hodge, 41, of Nippa, charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance for allegedly possessing approximately seven grams of methamphetamine in multiple baggies and $802 in cash money with the intent to traffic on June 19.
(Editor’s note: An indictment is not an indication of guilt but a determination by a grand jury that criminal charges warrant further judicial review.)