BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS)– Today, Christopher Michael Shepherd, 48, of Fayetteville, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and Kimberly Rosetta Logan, 47, of Beckley, pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl. Shepherd and Logan admitted to roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine base, also known as “crack,” in Beckley and elsewhere within the Southern District of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 24, 2024, Shepherd arranged to exchange approximately 8.5 grams of heroin with co-defendant Tilford Joe Bradley Jr. for approximately 8.5 grams of fentanyl. Shepherd met with Bradley at a Beckley-area gas station and made the exchange later that day. Law enforcement observed the transaction and conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Shepherd shortly afterward. Shepherd admitted that he threw a bag of controlled substances from his vehicle while officers attempted the traffic stop. Officers found and seized 150 grams of fentanyl, 53 grams of methamphetamine, 1.7 grams of crack, and $4,007 as a result of the traffic stop. Shepherd admitted that he possessed the seized controlled substances and intended to distribute them within the Southern District of West Virginia.
Logan admitted that she sold a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant at her residence in Beckley on April 10, 2024. Logan further admitted to distributing additional amounts of fentanyl and cocaine to other individuals while using some herself throughout May 2024. Logan ordered an average of 8 grams of fentanyl and 4 grams of cocaine per week from her Beckley-based supplier by phone during that time period, receiving the controlled substances at her residence.
Shepherd and Logan are scheduled to be sentenced on January 31, 2025, and each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Shepherd, Logan and Bradley are among 12 individuals indicted on charges alleging the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and crack within the Southern District of West Virginia from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024. The charges against Bradley and the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.
