Moorefield Woman Pleads Guilty to Meth Distribution Charge

ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA – In a gritty turn of events, Barbara Ann Thomas, 49, from Moorefield, West Virginia, has found herself at the center of a drug trafficking storm after pleading guilty to one count of ‘Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine’.

The United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced the charges, which stem from an incident in August 2019 when Thomas was caught with methamphetamine in Grant County.

Thomas’s crime carries a heavy penalty: she faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine that could reach $1,000,000. The severity of her sentence will be determined by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account the seriousness of her offenses and any prior criminal history.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner is spearheading the case against Thomas. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force – a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

The court proceedings were presided over by U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi, who oversees federal magistrate judges in the Northern District of West Virginia.