Preliminary hearings were held Tuesday afternoon for two men arrested in separate drug busts on Dec. 10.
Myron Manning, 24, of Warren, Mich., appeared virtually before Monongalia County Magistrate Judge James Nabors from the North Central Regional Jail, where he is currently being held on bond.
Manning was arrested by Monongalia County Sheriff’s deputies and charged with two counts of possession of schedule I or II narcotics with the intent to deliver, which is a felony offense.
Deputy Joshua Ward, one of the arresting officers, testified that deputies found approximately 48 grams of heroin, 8 grams of marijuana and around 2.9 pounds of methamphetamine, some of which was packaged in individual one-ounce bags, on Manning, after stopping a vehicle in which he was a passenger.
Ward said deputies also found $2,600, a digital scale, a loaded 9mm Glock pistol with the serial number filed off and multiple cell phones.
Ward said forensic analysis of some of the phones revealed messages referencing illegal narcotics.
Defense Attorney Jared Moore, who is representing Manning, also filed a motion to reduce Manning’s bond from $100,000 to $25,000 based on the fact that while the charges are serious felonies, they are not violent crimes.
Nabors agreed to reduce the bond to $75,000 due to the types of drugs and weapon found on Manning. Manning was also ordered to not leave the state without court permission. Nabors also found probable cause in the case. Manning will face indictment by a grand jury in January.
Jessie Anthony Smith, 24, of Morgantown was charged with possession with intent to deliver fentanyl and cocaine base as well as conspiracy in a separate Dec. 10 drug bust by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force.
Smith, who also appeared before Nabors virtually from North Central Regional Jail, waived his right to the preliminary hearing. Defense attorney for Smith, Edmund Rollo, also asked the court to reduce bond from $150,000 to $100,000 on behalf of his client.
Smith was arrested, along with Brendan Marcellus Bragg, during the execution of a search warrant by members of the task force and West Virginia State Police Special Response Team, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint stated that officers found over two ounces of fentanyl, over 10 grams of cocaine base, a digital scale and $1,600 cash inside Smith and Bragg’s Wall Street apartment.
Nabors granted the bond reduction to $100,000, adding that if bond is made, Smith will be restricted to the state of West Virginia. Smith will also face a grand jury indictment in early January.
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