Wetzel County Man Admits to Methamphetamine Charge

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - Michael E. Stout, 63, of Smithfield, West Virginia, has admitted to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, during a traffic stop in Bridgeport, West Virginia, an officer observed a suspicious substance in Stout's shirt pocket. A search of the vehicle yielded 578 grams of methamphetamine, fentanyl, a firearm, ammunition, drug paraphernalia, and $1,904.

Stout faces up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Reid is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Marshall County Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; and the Bridgeport Police Department investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.