FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Detroit, Michigan, man has been sentenced to prison after failing to complete West Virginia’s Youthful Offender Treatment Program following his guilty plea to a felony fentanyl charge.
Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney Anthony Ciliberti Jr. announced that Donovan M. Phillips, 21, was sentenced July 6 by Fayette County Circuit Judge W.E. Sam Fox II to three to 15 years in prison for possession of fentanyl with the intent to deliver.
Phillips pleaded guilty to the charge on Dec. 8, 2025. He was initially committed to the Youthful Offender Treatment Program but did not successfully complete the program. As a result, he was ordered to serve his prison sentence and will be eligible for parole after serving three years.
The charge stemmed from a June 5, 2025, traffic stop involving a red Nissan Rogue. According to prosecutors, the vehicle was stopped after the driver, identified as Brianna Blackman, was observed not wearing a seatbelt.
Phillips, who was riding in the front passenger seat, was found to have an active arrest warrant from the state of Michigan. While taking him into custody, officers discovered two large packages of suspected illegal drugs in his pocket. Laboratory testing later confirmed the packages contained a total of 102 grams of fentanyl.
The case was investigated by the Oak Hill Police Department and prosecuted by Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer D. Crane.
