Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Keith Deshon Adams, 39, of Statesville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 7, 2022, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Adams was a passenger in Oak Hill. Adams admitted that he tried to flee on foot after he was asked to exit the vehicle and stand at the front of an officer’s cruiser. An officer deployed a taser to stop Adams. While struggling with the officer, Adams opened a cross-body bag he was wearing and retrieved a plastic baggy containing fentanyl powder from it. Adams tore open the bag, causing the fentanyl to spill out of the bag and onto the officer’s clothing, face and mouth. The officer ingested some of the fentanyl and began suffering an apparent overdose.
Other officers secured Adams. A second officer suffered an apparent overdose after ingesting some of the spilled fentanyl. Both officers were taken to the hospital and treated with naloxone.
Adams admitted that the cross-body bag contained controlled substances including methamphetamine, fentanyl and tablets containing methamphetamine and ecstasy.
Adams is scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Oak Hill Police Department, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-152.
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