OAK HILL, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A late-night traffic stop in Oak Hill on Monday, August 4, 2025, led to the arrest of two people on felony drug and firearm charges after police say they found fentanyl, drug packaging materials, and a handgun inside a vehicle.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Fayette County Magistrate Court, Cpl. J.M. Pauley of the Oak Hill Police Department was patrolling Main Street at around 1:10 a.m. when he encountered a black Honda CR-V traveling north with its high beams on. Pauley turned around and initiated a traffic stop on Woods Avenue.
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Inside the vehicle were driver Derek Allen, front-seat passenger Bonita Justice, and two rear passengers — Derrick Couch and Skylar Raine Cohournour. While approaching, Pauley reported seeing “a lot of movement” from the backseat passengers.
A records check revealed Allen had a non-extraditable warrant out of Covington, Virginia. As Pauley prepared a citation, he noticed a knife on Allen’s side and removed it for safety.
A search of Allen’s pockets allegedly revealed several cut plastic straws, commonly used to inhale narcotics.
All occupants were asked to exit the vehicle while K-9 Petro conducted an exterior sniff. The dog alerted on the driver’s side door, prompting a probable cause search.
Officers say they found burnt tin foil throughout the vehicle, a backpack on the rear floorboard containing a digital scale and baggies, and a charging device with Couch’s name on it.
Under the rear seat, police discovered a Taurus .45-caliber handgun accessible to both Couch and Cohournour.
When asked if she was concealing anything, Cohournour allegedly produced several bags of suspected fentanyl and a piece of tin foil from her pants.
Both Couch and Cohournour were read their Miranda rights and arrested.
Couch, a convicted felon from a 2015 clandestine lab case, and Cohournour, with a 2024 felony conspiracy conviction, were transported to the Southern Regional Jail to await arraignment.
The suspected fentanyl was divided into four bags and one tin foil package:
- Blue powder: approx. 0.86 grams
- Purple powder: approx. 16.99 grams
- White powder: approx. 6.16 grams
- Purple powder: approx. 0.61 grams
Police say the discovery of multiple packages, along with a scale and baggies, indicates the pair conspired to distribute narcotics.
