Three West Virginia men face drug charges

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

A traffic stop on Interstate 77 resulted in the arrest of three West Virginia men and confiscation of marijuana and cash, according to the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred last Friday around 2 p.m.
According to Chief Deputy Keith Dunagan, a deputy was conducting the stop when an approaching vehicle failed to merge left and almost struck him. The officer stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as Gary Foster Sanders Jr., 19, of Princeton, W.Va.
The officer, Dunagan said, detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The deputy asked Sanders and two other occupants, William Bakker Gardner, 20, and Basil Edward Bennett, 26, both of Princeton, to get out of the vehicle, Dunagan reported.
A search of the vehicle, the chief deputy stated, several small bags of marijuana and $7,478 in cash. Dunagan said all three men were charged with felony conspiracy to possess more than a half-ounce of marijuana.
Sanders also was charged with driving under the influence of drugs. Gardner was charged with misdemeanor possession of with intent to distribute less than a half ounce of marijuana.
In an unrelated case, the Sheriff’s Office is looking for a suspect in an apparent theft from units at Max Meadows Mini Storage. The incident occurred between 4:45 and 5 a.m. last Saturday.
Dunagan said a white male driving a white Ford pickup truck was videotaped attempting to use a pair of bolt cutters on locks of several storage units. The man, the officer said, was successful in cutting a chain blocking the front row of storage buildings.
Dunagan reported the man backed his truck into the storage buildings in two places. What the man might have taken isn’t known at this time, the officer said.
The investigation continues.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .