Tina Hart, Unlawful Use of Communication Facility, West Virginia 2019

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Tina Hart, a 40-year-old woman from Glenville, West Virginia, walked away with a lenient sentence this week, dodging serious jail time despite her involvement in drug distribution. Hart was sentenced to two years of probation by U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh, a slap on the wrist for peddling poison in Monongalia County.

The case stems back to April 2018, when Hart used a simple phone call to facilitate the distribution of a controlled substance. While the specific drug wasn’t disclosed, the act itself landed her with a guilty plea in February 2019 to one count of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility.” It’s a charge that often carries stiffer penalties, but Hart managed to avoid significant incarceration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley, handling the prosecution, clearly wasn’t able to secure a harsher sentence. The investigation, a multi-agency effort, involved the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force – a HIDTA-funded initiative. Even with this combined firepower, Hart received probation.

The Mon Metro Task Force, funded by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, is designed to target major drug operations. The involvement of the U.S. Marshal Service further highlights the resources poured into this case. Yet, a two-year probation term suggests either a weak case, a plea bargain, or a judge sympathetic to the defendant. The public deserves to know why a drug distributor avoided jail time.

Federal funding played a crucial role in the investigation, courtesy of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). This program funnels money and coordination between federal and state agencies, all in the name of dismantling drug trafficking networks. But the OCDETF’s efforts seem somewhat undermined when the end result is a mere probationary sentence for someone actively involved in the chain.

While authorities celebrate interagency cooperation, the outcome raises questions about the effectiveness of the system. Was this a small-time operation? Was Hart cooperating with authorities on larger cases? The lack of transparency surrounding the details of the case leaves many unanswered questions and a bitter taste for those who believe in true justice. United States Attorney Bill Powell announced the sentencing, but offered no further comment.

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