Mike Slonaker was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver. He was arraigned before magistrate Judith Goontz and remanded to the custody of the Northern Regional Jail in lieu of a $25,000 bond.
The arrest was made after the New Martinsville police dispatch received a citizen complaint of the alleged drug deal. The citizen described the vehicle and gave the license plate number.
Smitley and Scott responded to the call and stopped the vehicle within minutes of the complaint. Deputy Scott’s K-9 “Hawk” performed an exterior sniff on Slonaker’s vehicle and got a positive hit. The vehicle was searched by Chief Deputy Rob Haught who found approximately 25 grams of marijuana and 10 grams of cocaine.
“This just goes to show the importance of having a good dispatcher,” said NMPD Detective Donnie Harris. “Had the citizen called the police department and gotten an answering machine the information may not have been received in time.
“It also shows the importance of the departments working together. Without the assistance of Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit this arrest would not have occurred. Wetzel County Probation Office also assisted with the call.”
Harris commends the citizen for making the phone call and encourages anybody that has information about drug dealing or possession of illegal drugs to contact the appropriate law enforcement agency.
Contact the New Martinsville Police Department at 455-9100, the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department at 455-2430, or the WV State Police at 455-0913. Also, for persons on probation, contact the Wetzel County Probation Office at 455-8232.