Charleston Heroin Dealer Groom Gets 58 Months

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kennele Groom, 36, of Charleston, is headed to federal prison for nearly five years after being sentenced for pushing heroin on the streets of the state capital. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced the 58-month sentence today, a stark warning to anyone else looking to profit from the misery of addiction.

Groom pleaded guilty in May 2014 to distributing the deadly opioid. The bust went down January 14, 2014, when Charleston Police raided Groom’s residence on the 1200 block of Griffith Drive. The search wasn’t a dry run; officers uncovered a substantial stash – over 12 grams of heroin and more than $20,000 in cash. Another $1,979 was found on Groom himself at the time of his arrest, suggesting a lucrative, if illegal, enterprise.

The investigation revealed Groom wasn’t just holding product, he was actively working the supply chain. He admitted to making trips to Cincinnati to procure the heroin he then peddled in the Charleston area. Before the raid, Groom had already sold heroin to a confidential informant on three separate occasions, cementing the case against him.

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston handed down the 58-month sentence, a clear message that heroin dealing carries serious consequences. The Charleston Police Department conducted the initial investigation, building the case that Assistant United States Attorney Steven I. Loew then successfully prosecuted.

This case isn’t isolated. Goodwin’s office is spearheading a broad effort across the Southern District of West Virginia to dismantle the networks fueling the opioid crisis. The focus isn’t just on street-level dealers like Groom, but on the entire operation – from pill trafficking to open-air markets to the flow of heroin itself.

“We are committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down these illegal operations,” a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office reads. “Eliminating these markets and curtailing the spread of these drugs is paramount to protecting communities across the Southern District.” The message is clear: the Grimy Times will continue to report on these cases as they unfold, shining a light on the dark underbelly of drug trafficking in West Virginia.