FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A man was arrested early Sunday morning after police say they found suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl inside a vehicle parked at the Birdwatch viewing area off Nick Rahall Road in Fayette County.
According to authorities, at approximately 6:30 a.m. on July 12, Fayetteville Police Patrolman Bell requested assistance at the end of the Birdwatch viewing area after discovering a suspicious vehicle.
When assisting officers arrived, they found a Jeep Cherokee parked beside a Fayetteville Police cruiser. Patrolman Bell had already detained the driver, identified as David Michael Coleman, inside his patrol vehicle.
Police say Patrolman Bell initially approached the Jeep after noticing the driver appeared to be passed out and slumped over the steering wheel. As he walked up to conduct a welfare check, he reportedly observed a digital scale sitting on top of the vehicle.
Looking through the driver’s side window, the officer allegedly saw burnt aluminum foil with drug residue resting on top of a black cellphone. After asking Coleman to step out of the vehicle, officers say they immediately spotted a clear plastic bag on the driver’s seat containing multiple individually packaged baggies filled with a white crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine, along with a separate bag containing a light blue powder suspected to be fentanyl.
According to the report, Patrolman Bell asked Coleman whether fentanyl was present in the vehicle due to officer safety concerns, and Coleman allegedly confirmed that it was.
Investigators photographed the vehicle and the suspected evidence before conducting a search. During the search, officers seized the suspected methamphetamine, suspected fentanyl, a digital scale, a black cellphone, and Coleman’s West Virginia driver’s license. All items were entered into evidence.
Coleman was arrested at the scene, transported to the Oak Hill Police Department, and faces drug-related charges stemming from the investigation.
The substances recovered will undergo laboratory testing to confirm their identity. All criminal charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
