By Stephen Smoot
Last week, the grand jury for Pendleton County convened and issued a set of indictments. Indictment merely means that enough evidence exists against an individual in a criminal case that it might go to trial.
An indicted individual’s next step, if no plea deals or other events occur, lies in trial by petit jury. Here, 12 men and women decide if a person is guilty or not guilty.
It is important to understand that a jury cannot find a person innocent. Trial by jury has its origins in High Middle Ages England, when it was commonly held that only God could determine guilt or innocence.
Juries judge the case presented by the prosecution, not the defendant. The prosecutor has the onus to use evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The grand jury issued a three count indictment against Dillian Gaige Nelson. According to the indictment “on or about May 30. 2025 (he) did unlawfully and feloniously, transport or cause to be transported into the State of West Virginia, a controlled substance with intent to deliver the same, to wit: Marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance, against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The second count alleges “Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a felony . . . charging that . . . Nelson, on or about May 30, 2025 . . . did unlawfully and feloniously deliver . . . Marijuana . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The third count alleges the same crime on the same date.
The grand jury issued five indictments against Michael Allen Turner. The first count alleges “Failure to Register as a Sexual Offender or Provide Notice of Registration Changes, Second or Subsequent Offense.” Turner “on or about July 21, 2025 . . . did unlawfully and feloniously and knowingly refuse to provide accurate information when so required by the terms of this article . . . within 10 business days, having previously been convicted of a qualifying offense involving a minor or other qualifying offense requiring registry for life by the Circuit Court of Pendleton County . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The second count alleges “Failure to Register as a Sexual Offender or Provide Notice of Registration Changes . . . on or about July 21, 2025 . . . (he) did unlawfully and feloniously and knowingly refuse to provide accurate information . . . of obtaining a “BLU” prepaid cellular phone card within 10 business days . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The third count alleges “Failure to register as a Sexual offender or Provide Notice of Registration Changes.” Turner allegedly “did knowingly refuse to provide accurate information or did knowingly fail to provide notice of obtaining an email address jo************@***il.com . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The fourth count alleges Turner “did knowingly refuse to provide a change in required information . . . of obtaining a Facebook account under the name of “Joe Wimer” within 10 business days . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The fifth count alleges “a Misdemeanor,” that Turner “did knowingly, unlawfully, and intentionally possess a controlled substance . . . to wit Methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.
The grand jury returned four counts against Alexia Chaylee Cook. The first count alleges that Cook “did unlawfully, feloniously, and intentionally flee . . . in a vehicle from Deputy M. J. Kontyko, Pendleton County Sheriff Department . . . and did operate the vehicle in a manner showing a reckless indifference to the safety of others, against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The second count alleges “Fleeing in a Vehicle while Driving Under the Influence, a Felony . . . (Cook) did unlawfully, feloniously, and intentionally flee . . . in a vehicle from a law enforcement officer . . . and was under the influence of alcohol, controlled substance, or drugs at the time, against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The third count alleges “a Misdemeanor,” that Cook “did unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally possess a controlled substance . . . to wit: Methamphetamine . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The fourth count alleges “a Misdemeanor,” that Cook “did unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally possess a controlled substance . . . to wit: Marijuana . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The grand jury returned an indictment with 23 counts against Richard Allen Ruble, “on, or about September 3, 2025” who “did unlawfully and feloniously and knowingly refuse to provide accurate information . . .or did knowingly fail to provide a change in required information . . . (in) obtaining his email account of Ba*************@***il.com, having previously been convicted of a qualifying offense by order entered on or about March 18, 2015 in the Circuit Court of Hampshire County.”
The remaining 22 counts refer to the same crime with different email addresses. Those addresses allegedly created by Ruble are Ba*************@***il.com, Ba*************@***il.com, Ba************@***il.com, Bu************@***il.com, Ge*******************@***il.com, Im******@***il.com, JackA**@gmail.com, JohnDoeKissMyA**@gmail.com, Mo********@***il.com, TT******@***il.com, Ri******************@***il.com, a TikTok account with Ba**************@***il.com, a TikTok account wi**********@***il.com, a TikTok account of lick_iT_beforeYo, a TikTok account of bambam88060428, a TikTok account of F***TT625, Facebook account of Bam Bam, a Facebook account of “Elizabeth Phillips, a Facebook account of Jon Doe, a Facebook account of Real Musick, a CapCut account of Demonchild259, a Favorited account of BamBam187.
The grand jury returned a two count indictment against Consuela Rose Bosley. She “did unlawfully, feloniously, and knowingly take the name, birth date, social security number, or other identifying information of another person without the consent of that other person . . . Trudy Sponaugle . . . with the intent to fraudulently represent that they were that other person for the purpose of making a financial transaction against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The second count is the same as the first.
The grand jury returned a two count indictment, both for murder, against Ryder Lee Bowers. The first count alleges that he “did feloniously, willfully, maliciously, and with premeditation deliberately and unlawfully slay, kill, and murder Taylar Lee Bowers, against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The second count alleges the same, but against Justin D. Bowers.
The grand jury returned a three count indictment against Adam Gregory Keller. The first count alleges that he committed “Murder, a felony.” It stated he “did feloniously, willfully, maliciously, deliberately, and unlawfully slay, kill, and murder Miranda Henderson during the commission of a felony offense of Delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance, Fentanyl . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The second count alleges “Drug Delivery Resulting in Death . . . (that) he did deliver fentanyl . . . to Miranda Henderson, who then ingested the substance, which proximately caused her death against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The third count alleges “Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Second Offense . . . having been convicted on one or more occasion of the same or similar offense . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
