Zanesville Man Pleads Guilty To West Virginia Federal Drug Crimes
Saturday, March 15, 2025, 8:15 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
CHARLESTON, W.VA.- On Wednesday, a 48-year-old Zanesville, Ohio, man learned he could potentially be spending the rest of his life in federal prison after pleading guilty to his role in an illicit narcotics distribution conspiracy that operated in the Parkersburg, West Virginia, area.
On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Catra Nelson, also known as “Trey,” 48, of Zanesville, Ohio, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Thomas E. Johnston to Conspiracy to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; and Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine.
Nelson Faces Up To Life In Federal Prison
Following entering his guilty pleas on Wednesday, Judge Johnston accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for July 24, 2025. At that time, Nelson faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.
When sentenced, a U.S. District Court Judge will determine Nelson’s term of imprisonment based on the seriousness of the offenses and Nelson’s prior criminal history.
According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston and charging information filed with the District Court, beginning in January 2020 and lasting through March 2021, Nelson conspired with co-defendant Steven Reger and others to distribute quantities of methamphetamine in the Parkersburg, West Virginia, area.
On March 23, 2021, during the ongoing narcotics investigation, Nelson aided and abetted in the sale of around 428.1 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant during a controlled buy under the observation of law enforcement investigators in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Nelson’s co-defendant, Reger, 48, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was sentenced in federal court in Charlestown, West Virginia, to 63 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Johnston commended the investigative work of the Parkersburg Drug and Violent Crime Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which led to Nelson’s guilty plea on Wednesday.
