Loretta Kay Douglas appeared before Judge Anita Harold Ashley on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 in the matter of the State of West Virginia 22F2/23F7, with her her Attorney Calvin Honaker. Miss Douglas waived her constitutional right to a preliminary hearing allowing the State to bring charges without an indictment for the charge of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
A plea agreement was presented to Judge Ashley with the terms provided by Prosecuting Attorney Nigel Jeffries. Jeffries stated that Loretta Doulas did conspire to commit a felony in that she had possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The charge carries not less than 1, nor more than 5 years in prison and or a fine and the payment of court costs. Because of the felony charge the defendant will also lose the right to own a gun.
Jeffries described to the Court the evidence against Douglas which lead to the plea agreement, stating that in December 2021, Trooper Brian E. Young and Deputy C.J. Myers conducted a controlled buy from a third party. After doing a search warrant for the subjects phone who had picked up the drugs, the officers discovered a connection to the defendant through a conversation to purchase Heroin. That individual sough immunity and named Loretta Douglas and the place in Charleston, West Virginia that she had traveled to purchase drugs. The drugs were packaged for sale and personal use. The State believed that they had the evidence to convict Loretta Douglas of Possession with Intention to Distribute a Controlled substance, schedule 2 narcotics.
Douglas was recently convicted in Kanawha County for Unlawful manufacture, delivery, transport into state, or possession of fentany and is currently serving 3-15 years with a projected release date of 2030 from the Lakin Correctional Facility.
At the conclusion of the State’s evidence, the defendant acknowledged that she was giving up her right to have her case heard by a jury, confessed to having distributed drugs and entered a guilty plea to Conspiracy to Commit a Felony. The matter was referred to the probation officer for a 4-6 week investigation and the case was continued for April 13th, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. for sentencing.
