A federal jury in Charleston, West Virginia has found Antonio Shelby Jr., 32, of Detroit, Michigan, guilty of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to evidence presented at trial, on January 10, 2024, law enforcement stopped Shelby’s vehicle in the Institute area of Kanawha County. The officer detected the smell of marijuana and informed Shelby that his vehicle would be searched. Shelby then fled the scene at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour along West Virginia Route 25 and Interstate 64.
The pursuit ended when Shelby crashed while attempting to exit I-64 at South Charleston. Officers detained him after finding him climbing out of the vehicle. A loaded Keltec model P3 AT .380-caliber pistol was discovered underneath him. Inside the vehicle, police found a bag containing methamphetamine, fentanyl, marijuana, digital scales, and $2,495. Some methamphetamine was packaged in 17 small individual baggies.
Shelby has previous felony convictions for fleeing from police and reckless driving causing serious impairment.
He is scheduled for sentencing on January 8, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life in prison.
“Shelby endangered the community by trafficking drugs while armed with a gun and also endangered both the public and law enforcement officers when he recklessly fled the traffic stop,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “I commend the law enforcement officers who safely apprehended the defendant and those who investigated this case, and I also commend Assistant United States Attorneys JC MacCallum and Jeremy B. Wolfe and our trial team for securing guilty verdicts on both counts in the indictment.”
Multiple agencies participated in apprehending Shelby and investigating the case: Nitro Police Department, Dunbar Police Department, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the trial.
Further information about this case can be accessed through PACER by searching Case No. 2:24-cr-197 or on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of West Virginia.
