CHARLESTON, W.Va. - U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that a Huntington man pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute a quantity of heroin. Stephen Michael Hopkins, 36, of Huntington, admitted to the charge in federal court on Jan. 30.
On March 16, 2011, officers with the Charleston Police Department responded to a call near the 2600 block of 6th Avenue in Charleston. Upon arriving at the scene, officers approached Hopkins and his known associate. Both Hopkins and his associate were sitting inside of a parked vehicle at the time. A responding officer asked Hopkins and his associate to step out of the vehicle. Hopkins, who admitted that he refused to obey the order given by law enforcement, turned the vehicle on and drove away. Law enforcement officers pursued the defendant and his associate as they fled. During the pursuit, Hopkins lost control of his vehicle and crashed at the intersection of 7th Street and Iowa Street in Charleston. Hopkins and his associate attempted to flee on foot, but were eventually arrested by officers. Officers conducted a search of the vehicle and recovered a plastic bag underneath the driver’s seat of the vehicle. The bag contained $10,920 in cash, suspected heroin, and suspected marijuana. The suspected heroin was submitted to the West Virginia State Police lab for testing and was found to be heroin weighing 26.6 grams.
Hopkins faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on May 2, 2013 by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.
The Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
