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Marlinton Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine and Firearm Charges in Northern West Virginia

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia says Charles Robert Calhoun, 40, entered the plea on August 7, 2026; sentencing is still to come.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 8, 2026, 12:12 a.m. ET
A Marlinton, West Virginia man has guilty to drug and firearm charges, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia on August 7, 2026. The office said Charles Robert Calhoun, 40, guilty that day to possessing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. According to the filed plea agreement and statements made in court, as described in the release, officers seized a pistol, four bags containing 141 grams of methamphetamine, $3,630, and drug paraphernalia. The release states that at the time of the traffic stop Calhoun was on state home confinement, and that a court-ordered home check of his residence led to a search warrant, after which investigators seized 11 firearms and three sets of digital scales. The office said Calhoun faces 10 years to life in prison on the drug charge and a consecutive 5 years and up to life on the firearms charge. Any sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The case remains open at the sentencing stage; no sentencing date appears in the record. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner is prosecuting the case, according to the release. The Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the West Virginia State Police investigated, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided. The Justice Department record lists the matter under its Operation Take Back America, drug trafficking and firearms offenses topics.

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  1. Version 18 Aug 2026, 04:12current

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