Irvin

The December sitting of the Washington County grand jury resulted in indictments issued against 35 people on allegations ranging from aggravated vehicular homicide to assaulting a police officer.

Jared Irvin, 24, of 123 Fred Smith Drive in New Matamoras, was indicted on two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, said Washington County Assistant Prosecutor Joe Derkin.

Irvin, according to an Ohio State Highway Patrol investigation, was driving north on Ohio 7 near New Matamoras on the evening of Nov. 16 when the Buick he was driving crashed into the back of a Jeep being driven by 71-year-old Barbara Sue Wilcox, of New Matamoras.

The force of the collision caused the Jeep to roll over, and Wilcox died from her injuries. Irvin’s vehicle after hitting the Jeep crashed into a south-bound ambulance, which had a patient on board. No one in the ambulance was seriously injured, the patrol said at the time.

Irvin is alleged to have been under the influence of drugs when the crash occurred and refused to provide a breath sample on request, Derkin said Friday. The two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide were applied because Irvin is accused of both operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol and refusing to be tested when asked to do so by the highway patrol. The charges are second- and third-degree felonies.

Irvin also was indicted on two charges of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, both first-degree misdemeanors.

Wilcox, born in New Martinsville, was a retired cook at the New Frontier Restaurant in New Matamoras and, according to her obituary, an avid reader and a fan of the West Virginia University Mountaineers. Among survivors listed were two sons, two daughters, 12 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, three brothers, three sisters and an ex-husband.

Also among the indictments disclosed Friday was a first-degree felonious assault charge against Andrew Lee McCarty, 30, of 125 Hickory St. in Lower Salem. McCarty, the state alleges, got into a confrontation with Washington County Sheriff’s deputies who arrived at his home Nov. 25 to arrest him on outstanding warrants.

“This is a first-degree felony because it involved an assault against a law enforcement officer who suffered a significant injury as a result,” assistant prosecutor David Silwani said Friday. “Deputies were sent out to McCarthy’s residence because he had outstanding warrants, and Deputy Loretta Parks was one of them. The altercation occurred during the attempt to arrest him, on a set of stairs going up to the porch on his home. He is accused of causing her to fall off the stairs.”

Sheriff Larry Mincks said Friday he could not discuss Parks’ medical condition but confirmed that she remains off work and is likely to be recovering for some time.

Also indicted was a Parkersburg man accused of trying to strangle his girlfriend with a string of Christmas lights. The indictment was on a first-degree felony charge of aggravated burglary, two second-degree felonious assault charges, two counts of abduction, one count of disruption of a public service and one count of violating a protection order.

Gurmel McDonald, 31, of 91 Central City Road in Parkersburg, is accused of attacking the woman in her Belpre home Nov. 27, and later violating a protective order issued as a result of the alleged assault.

“The felonious assault counts are second-degree because the woman was pregnant and it is alleged that McDonald knew she was pregnant,” Silwani said. The aggravated burglary charge applies to a crime in which the offender enters a residence with the intent to harm someone.

Disruption of a public service, Silwani said, came into play when McDonald destroyed the victim’s cell phone when she tried to call the police. The abduction charge applies to McDonald’s alleged efforts to prevent her from leaving the house or contacting help.

The case is being investing by the Belpre Police Department.

McDonald, Silwani said, is a repeat violent offender who is also facing robbery charges in Wood County, W.Va.

Other indictments disclosed on Friday included:

• Christopher Walker, 28, of 2836 Sealy Ridge Road in Vincent, was arrested after the Washington County Sheriff’s Office observed a Facebook video of him using what is alleged to be an illegal attachment to convert a handgun into an automatic weapon. Derkin said Walker apparently bought the modification online.

“He posted a video on Facebook of himself shooting the gun and made some remarks about his pending divorce that were alarming,” Derkin said. In addition to the attachment, Walker also had a magazine that held 30 or 32 rounds and two other magazines with a capacity of 17 rounds.

“In a matter of less than a minute he could have shot off like 70 rounds,” Derkin said. He was arrested without incident at his home on Nov. 16, Derkin said, and charged with unlawful possession of dangerous ordinance, a fifth-degree felony, and having weapons while a disability, a third-degree felony.

“Walker apparently has a drug problem, hence the disability,” Derkin said.

• Christopher Griffin, 34, of 52301 Rye Road in Reedsville, is accused of breaking into an auto repair shop in Belpre and stealing a vehicle, and also stealing a vehicle from a private residence. The case is being investigated by the Belpre Police Department. The charges are two counts of fourth-degree felony theft and receiving stolen property, and one count of breaking and entering, a third-degree felony.

• James Carney, 66, of 114 Oak Grove Lane in Marietta, is charged with two counts of operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, both third-degree felonies. Silwani said Carney has prior felony convictions of operating vehicles under the influence. He was stopped by Ohio State Highway Patrol near Gilman Avenue and Waterford Road on Nov. 3 after being observed driving erratically, Silwani said.

• Robert W. Heiden, 25, was arrested at the Quality Inn in Marietta after police, who were called to the hotel on a report of damage, found a stolen vehicle. Heiden, of 4905 1/2 Second Ave. in Parkersburg, was charged with receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony, and criminal damaging or endangering, a second-degree misdemeanor.

• Dustin McKnight, 33, of 9239 State Route 60 in Lowell, was charged with tampering with evidence and having weapons under a disability, both third-degree felonies, carrying a concealed weapon and improper handling of a firearm, both fourth-degree felonies. McKnight, Silwani said, was found to have a loaded gun in his possession when a car in which he was a passenger was stopped for a moving violation July 20 by police in Belpre. McKnight, Silwani said, had a prior conviction for heroin trafficking.

• Coy Smallwood, 27, was indicted on allegations of having a weapon while under a disability, a third-degree felony, and violation of a protective order, a first-degree misdemeanor. Smallwood, according to court documents, was alleged by a woman in Barlow to have taken a .22-caliber colt revolver from her even though she was under a protective order and Smallwood was prohibited from having a firearm because he had a record of domestic violence. Smallwood, who lives at 1706 Calder Ridge Road in Belpre, was contacted by a deputy from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and turned himself in Nov. 16.

• While investigating an unrelated case, Washington County Sheriff’s deputies on Nov. 13 had reason to examine the phone of Matthew R. Moyers, 41, of 2524 Oxbow Road in Belpre during November and found photos on it of a cat apparently being tortured. They referred the case to dog warden Kelly McGilton. Moyers is charged with four counts of cruelty to a companion animal, a fifth-degree felony. The cat died, according to court documents.

• David Decker, 25, of no fixed address, was indicted on one count of burglary, a second-degree felony, and one count of violating a protection order, a first-degree misdemeanor. On Nov. 28, the allegations state, Decker entered the Marietta apartment of a woman who had a protection order against him, hid in a closet and attempted to talk to her when she returned home. She ran out of the apartment and called the Marietta Police, who arrested him.

• Jaced Jeffries, 18, and homeless, was indicted on charges of grand theft of a firearm, a third-degree felony, and possession of a defaced firearm, a first-degree misdemeanor. Marietta Police Department officers detained Jeffries Nov. 23 following a report of theft of a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun from a vehicle parked on Sixth Street. A serial number had been defaced on the weapon, Silwani said.

• Tyara Ellis, 19, of Charleston, W.Va., and Brandy Stevenson, 44, of Hurricane, W.Va., both were indicted on two counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs, a second-degree felony, and one count of possession of criminal tools. Stevenson also was charged with illegal conveyance of drugs into a jail. The vehicle in which the two were traveling Oct. 1 on I-77 was stopped by Washington County Sheriff’s deputies on a matter regarding its license plate. A police dog indicated drugs were in the car, and a search uncovered scales, syringes, cash and about 42 grams of meth, Silwani said. More drugs were discovered on Stevenson when the two were booked into the Washington County Jail, he said.

• Ashley McDermott, 31, of 813 18th St. in Vienna, was indicted on charges of theft from a person in a protected class, a fifth-degree felony. McDermott is accused of stealing $141 from a disabled adult for whom she was caring as an employee of the Pioneer Children’s Consortium at 711 Devola St. in Marietta. “It is an assisted living facility, and she abused that trust and stole from the victim,” Derkin said. “The victim kind of picked up on it and alerted authorities on Oct. 7.” The case is being investigated by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

• Sheldon Hill, 36, of 11776 State Route 555 in Cutler, was indicted on two counts of domestic violence, a fourth-degree felony, and aggravated menacing, a first-degree misdemeanor. Hill allegedly committed acts of violence against his pregnant girlfriend twice, once on Dec. 2, once on Aug. 24, and threatened her with harm on Aug. 24.

• Shawn Carpenter, 35, of 108 Berry Lane, was indicted on one count of domestic violence related to an argument he had with his grandfather Oct. 21. Derkin said the two were arguing over his grandfather’s diet.

• Michael Gray, 34, of 922 Front St. in Marietta, was indicted on two counts of domestic violence and one count of disrupting public service. Gray, Derkin said, got into a dispute at his home with his ex-girlfriend when came to retrieve personal property and a puppy. “He wouldn’t give her back the puppy, struck her repeatedly and broke her cell phone,” Derkin said. “He continued to threaten her as she was leaving.” The Marietta Police Department responded to the complaint Nov. 11. “She got the puppy back,” Derkin said.

• Patrick D. Worstell, 34, of 320 Browns Road in Marietta, and Bradley D. Worstall, 23, of 29725 State Route 7 in Marietta, each were indicted on one count of attempting to smuggle drugs into the Washington County Jail, a third-degree felony. The two, who are brothers, tried to receive drugs in the jail by having them mailed, Derkin said.

• Quinton Ramirez, 27, of State Route 555, Little Hocking, was indicted on one count of burglary, a second-degree felony, one count of theft, a fifth-degree felony, and one count of theft of a credit card, a fifth-degree felony. Ramirez is accused of burglarizing the home of a Belpre woman and stealing a credit card April 3, prosecutor Kevin Rings said.

• Brian Hess, 42, of Cisler Lane in Marietta, was indicted on one count of breaking and entering and one count of theft of a motor vehicle. Hess, Rings said, is accused of stealing a Yamaha side-by-side ATV on Nov. 5 in Lowell.

• Dylan M. Tennant, 21, of 227 Greene St. in Marietta, was indicted on one count of disrupting public service, a fourth-degree felony, one count of harassment by inmate, a third-degree felony, assaulting a corrections employee, a fifth-degree felony, aggravated menacing, a first-degree misdemeanor, and criminal mischief, a first degree misdemeanor. The charges relate to events alleged to have occurred while Tennant was an inmate at the Washington County Jail, where he is alleged to have disabled the sprinkler system Dec. 4 and on Oct. 20 threatened a corrections officer by trying to expose the officer to bodily fluids. Tennant, court documents indicate, has hepatitis.

• Marcus A. Brown, 23, of 304 Elm St. in Belpre, was indicted on two counts of burglary, a second-degree felony, and two counts of theft related to alleged crimes that occurred on Elm Street in Belpre on July 28 that included theft of a television and other electronics.

• Zohn J. Kelly, 28, of 110 1/2 Lee St. in Belpre, was indicted on one count of aggravated possession of drugs, a third-degree felony. Kelly was stopped by the Ohio State Highway Patrol Sept. 7 on a moving violation, and a search uncovered about 11 grams of meth, according to court documents.

• Savannah K. Henry, 25, of Youngstown, was indicted on one count of escape from custody, a third-degree felony. Henry, Rings said, was convicted on a burglary charge in May and sentenced to 36 days in jail. After release she was ordered to complete a STAR community justice program but failed to report for it on Oct. 25. She remains at large, Rings said.

• Randy Johnson, 57, of 216 Blennerhassett Ave. in Belpre, was indicted on one count each of disruption of public service, a fourth-degree felony; abduction, a third-degree felony; domestic violence and aggravated menacing, both first-degree misdemeanors; and unlawful restraint, a third-degree misdemeanor. On June 24, a Belpre city police statement says, Johnson and his wife got into an argument about the guns in their house, and the argument escalated into a fight that involved Johnson threatening her with a loaded gun and throwing heavy objects at her and around the house. She ran off and called police. “It was a domestic violence incident that really got out of hand,” Rings said.

• William Schofield, 57, of 1717 15th St. in Parkersburg, was indicted on one count of failure to appear, a fourth-degree felony. Schofield, Rings said, has since pleaded guilty and the case has been closed.