Kidwells Among Five Indicted in Heroin Pipeline Overdose Case

Harrisonburg, VIRGINIA – A federal grand jury has leveled a six-count indictment against five individuals in connection with a heroin trafficking operation that spanned from Maryland into Virginia, resulting in one fatality and one non-fatal overdose. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen announced the charges.

The indicted include Craig Allen Kidwell, 52, of Mount Jackson, Va., and his wife Norman Lynda Kidwell, 54, also of Mount Jackson. They face charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin resulting in death and serious bodily injury, as well as distribution and possession with the intent to distribute heroin that led to the death of J.H. and serious bodily injury to J.W.

Three additional defendants charged are James Harold Lichliter, 52, from Mauretown, Va., Stacy Allen Marston, 42, of Woodstock, Va., and Jonathan Dale Neice, 42, also from Woodstock, Va. All face the same charges related to their roles in the distribution chain.

Cullen emphasized the devastating toll of opioid overdoses in America, noting that more people have died from overdoses over the last two years than during the Vietnam War. He praised law enforcement for their efforts in bringing those involved in the drug trafficking ring to justice.

According to the indictment, a Maryland-based network began selling controlled substances to Virginia traffickers around June 2017. Craig and Norma Kidwell are accused of traveling to Maryland to obtain heroin, which was often mixed with other substances like fentanyl, before being transported back to Shenandoah County for redistribution.

The DEA, Virginia State Police, Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office, and Woodstock Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Grayson A. Hoffman will lead the prosecution.