Multi-State Heroin Trafficking Operation Based in Baltimore, Maryland Fractured by Federal Indictment

Harrisburg, PA – Multiple individuals were arrested today pursuant to a 163-count federal indictment charging 41 people with facilitating an extensive, multi-state heroin trafficking operation, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, West Virginia State Police Colonel Jay Smithers, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Smith, announced.

On June 16, 2015, the USMS in the Middle District of Pennsylvania arrested two of the suspects named in the indictment. They are 46 year-old Craig Rhodes and 24 year-old Veronica Thomas. Both suspects were arrested at a residence on North 4th Street in Chambersburg, Pa.

This morning, the indictment was unsealed and 35 of the defendants were taken into custody as part of a coordinated, multi-state arrest operation. Those arrested today include:

    Jared Michael Belanger, 35, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Lindsay Bohrer, 37, of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia,

    Shawn Blain Bowers, 36, of Braddock Heights, Maryland,

    Theresa Brewer, 61, of Braddock Heights, Maryland,

    Kenneth Bryan Crowley, 38, of Rockville, Maryland,

    James R. Dove, 30, of Keyser, West Virginia,

    Veronica Gladden, 32, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Harmony Hahn, 31, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Bonnie Hanna, 34, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    James Francis Hansen, Jr., 48, of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia,

    Javier Lewis Howard, 32, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    James Miner Jenkins, 36, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Jessica Kesecker, 33, of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia,

    Brandon Kidwell, 23, of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia,

    Darla Kinser, 29, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Edward Lee Knotts, a.k.a. “Eddie,” 32, of Ranson, West Virginia,

    Jeffery David Murphy, a.k.a. “J.D.,” 34, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Brandon Lee Odell, 32, of Inwood, West Virginia,

    Scott Andrew Ours, a.k.a. “D,” 32, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Melissa Portrey, a.k.a. “Missy,” 47, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia,

    Josh Reid, 32, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Craig Rhodes, 46, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania,

    Cassandra Elaine Riggs, a.k.a “Casey Braithwaite,” 25, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    James Michael Ross, 32, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Cortney Blaire Saylor, a.k.a “C,” 29, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Megan Saylor, 32, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Robert Hamilton Shanley-Sexton, a.k.a. “Robbie,” 23, of Gaithersburg, Maryland,

    Frederick Smitherman, a.k.a. “Freddy,” 36, of Inwood, West Virginia,

    William Thomas Stine, a.k.a. “Tom,” 39, of Martinsburg, West Virginia,

    Cameron Steinbaugh, 28, of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia,

    Teddy Edward Threadgill, 46, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia,

    Veronica Thomas, 24, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania,

    Bruce Morton Vaudrien, Jr., 45, of Kearneysville, West Virginia,

    Michelle Lynn Warnick, 32, of Kearneysville, West Virginia,

    William Lee Wasson, a.k.a. “Bill,” 38, of Falling Waters, West Virginia, and

    Sarah Marie Weant, 26, of Kearneysville, West Virginia.

Two defendants are currently in state custody, including:

    Clinton Dunlap, a.k.a. “K.D.,” 31, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, and

    Steward Eugene Whitehead, Jr., a.k.a. “Geno,” 29, of Inwood, West Virginia.

Several individuals have not yet been located, including:

    Roma Michelle Bland, 37, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, and

    James Wesley Faircloth, 34, of Martinsburg, West Virginia

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the aforementioned individuals is encouraged to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (412) 432-4000.

United States Marshal Martin J. Pane stated, “Heroin is a cancer on our society. The Marshals Service will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to rid our communities of those who prey upon our youth. Those charged will now face appropriate charges in the federal criminal justice system.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Krasinski is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the West Virginia State Police, and the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, are leading the investigation. The United States Marshals Service and the Baltimore County Police Department in Maryland are also supporting the investigation.

The USMS M/PA Task Force worked jointly in this investigation with personnel from the York City Police Department, York County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, Harrisburg Bureau of Police and the Chambersburg Police Department.