MERCER COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Dana Marie Willis, age 39, of Glenwood, West Virginia, was sentenced to 1-10 years in prison for Third-Offense Shoplifting after changing her mind and refusing to agree to Drug Rehabilitation. The Mercer County Sheriff’s Department arrested Willis in April 2024 for stealing from Walmart. According to Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney Brian K. Cochran, Willis was indicted by the June 2024 Mercer County Grand Jury and pled guilty on February 3, 2025.
Cochran said that Mercer County Circuit Court Judge Mark Wills handed down the prison sentence to Ms. Willis on Monday, March 3, 2025, after she rejected the State’s recommendation that she complete long-term rehabilitation or successfully complete the Mercer County Drug Court Program.
“Our prosecutor’s office considers many factors before we agree to a sentence recommendation. In cases such as this, we generally try to help the people who want help from drug addiction get the help they need. I think this approach to lower-level non-violent crimes usually makes the best sense for our community because the jail sentence is hanging over their head if they don’t comply. However, Ms. Willis decided she would rather go straight to prison than try rehab, so the Judge did the right thing and granted her request and sent her to prison.”
