Detroit Man Pleads Guilty To West Virginia Drug Crime

Tuesday, November 26, 2024, 6:00 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

HUNTINGTON, W.VA.- On Monday, November 26, 2024, Joe Dante Townsend, 32, of Detroit, Michigan, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers to Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine.

      According to U.S. Attorney Will Thompson and charging documents filed with the district court, on June 11, 2024, Townsend was a backseat passenger in a vehicle pulled over by Police Officers of the Huntington Police Department on the 1600 Block of Ninth Avenue in Huntington, West Virginia. During the traffic stop, Police Officers conducted a consent search of the vehicle and found a backpack in the backseat containing nearly 500 grams of cocaine.

     During Townsend’s plea allocution on Monday, Townsend admitted that the backpack belonged to him and that he had transported the cocaine by bus from Detroit, Michigan, to Huntington, West Virginia, where he intended to distribute the illicit narcotic for money.

     Following his plea allocution, Judge Chambers accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for March 10, 2025, at which time Townsend faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. The actual term of imprisonment at the time of sentencing will be determined by a U.S. District Court Judge based on the seriousness of the offense and Townsend’s prior criminal history.

     U.S. Attorney Thompson commended the investigative work of the Huntington Police Department and the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force.