CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine, distributing cocaine base, also known as “crack,” and possessing with intent to distribute over 400 grams of methamphetamine and over 80 grams of crack.
Michael Andrew King, Jr., 35, was found guilty by a federal jury following his August 2021 trial. He also faces five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, King distributed methamphetamine to an individual in Montgomery, West Virginia, on January 4, 2019. Three days later, King distributed crack to that same individual in Montgomery. On February 2, 2019, King was in Cleveland, Ohio, and placed over 400 grams of methamphetamine and over 80 grams of crack in a female’s vehicle without her knowledge. King arranged for the female to follow him back to Charleston that same day. Law enforcement conducted surveillance of King as he followed the female’s vehicle, and after a traffic stop of both vehicles, seized the methamphetamine and crack that King had previously placed in the female’s vehicle.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work involved in the case. The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) conducted the investigation with assistance from the Charleston Police Department, the South Charleston Police Department, the West Virginia State Police, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Parkersburg Police Department.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the jury trial and imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Nowles Heinrich and Ryan Blackwell prosecuted 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. 2:21-cr-23.
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