BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — What could have been a dangerous collision at an Inez gas station instead became a methamphetamine bust with Martin County Sheriff John Kirk putting four people behind bars Dec. 30 on felony drug charges. A vehicle crashed into the concrete barrier protecting the gas pumps at Horn’s BP on Route 645 just before 8 p.m., the sheriff said.
According to Kirk, off-duty volunteer deputy John Horn was sitting in the parking lot at Horn’s BP when he saw a vehicle slam into what he first believed was a gas pump. The deputy immediately contacted the sheriff, reporting that the “occupants of the vehicle appeared to be impaired,” Kirk said.
When the sheriff arrived, he found the car had struck the concrete barrier surrounding the pump.
“That protected the pump from being destroyed, but it broke the tire off the rim of the car,” Kirk said. “When I got there it was clear that at least one of the occupants was extremely impaired. One was in the back seat, appeared to be asleep or passed out. We dispatched the ambulance there to check him out and medically clear him.”
A search of the vehicle uncovered several baggies containing a crystal-like and powdery white substance, along with other drugs. Law enforcement seized multiple small clear plastic baggies, syringes, a spoon, cellphones, a wallet and other items.
Kirk identified Cecil Diamond, 44, of Williamson, West Virginia, as the suspected driver. Diamond allegedly had three Gabapentin pills in a plastic container in his hoodie pocket. The sheriff said he had a baggie containing a crystal-like substance concealed in his right pant leg.
Diamond faces charges of first-degree possession of a controlled substance (drug unspecified), first-degree possession of a controlled substance, first offense (methamphetamine), and a fugitive-from-justice warrant from another state.
“He gave us a false name,” Kirk said of Diamond. “We were able to track down warrants for him out of West Virginia.”
The sheriff said this was not the first time Diamond provided a false identity.
“I just didn’t recognize him with his hoodie, but we were finally able to identify him,” Kirk said.
According to the police report, John C. Adkins, 51, of Belfry, was sitting in the back of the vehicle. Kirk said Adkins had a baggie containing a white, crystal-like substance in his wallet and a larger baggie containing a similar substance on the floorboard at his feet.
“That’s where the majority of the meth was found—at his feet on the passenger side on the back floorboard,” Kirk said.
Adkins faces charges of first-degree possession of a controlled substance, first offense (methamphetamine), and public intoxication-controlled substance (excludes alcohol).
Another passenger, David L. Williamson, 64, of Williamson, West Virginia, had a crystal-like substance folded inside a receipt, according to Kirk. He faces a single charge of first-degree possession of a controlled substance, first offense (methamphetamine).
A third passenger, Charlotte Marie Godines, 39, of Belfry, allegedly had two plastic baggies containing a powder-like substance, along with seven Gabapentin pills, in her purse.
Kirk wrote in his report that Godines “had very slurred speech and admitted she had done fentanyl earlier.”
Godines is facing charges of public intoxication-controlled substance, first-degree possession of a controlled substance, first offense (methamphetamine), and first-degree possession of a controlled substance (drug unspecified).
First-degree possession of a controlled substance, including methamphetamine, is classified as a Class D felony. If convicted, the suspects face a sentence of 1 to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for each charge.
Editor’s note: An arrest does not prove guilt. All individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.