By Stephen Smoot
The grand jurors of the State of West Virginia, in and for the body of the County of Pendleton, meeting in the November 2023 term of the court issued the following indictments.
Indictments by a grand jury mean that the body decided that there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial by petit jury. They do not indicate a verdict of guilty or not guilty at this time. Defendants retain the presumption of innocence under the law.
Grand jurors indicted Lawrence “Grasshopper” Puffenbarger on seven total counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, a felony. The counts allege that on seven separate occasions, he “did unlawfully and feloniously, being eighteen years of age or older at the time, subject another person to sexual contact who was at said time younger than twelve years old . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The Pendleton Times cannot ethically print further details from these indictments because they involve minor child victims.
Grand jurors issued four total counts against Paul Joseph Locastro. The first count alleges that “Locastro, on or about December 11, 2022 . . . did unlawfully, feloniously, and burglariously break and enter . . . with the intent to commit a violation of the criminal laws of this state . . . with the intent to commit Wanton Endangerment Involving a Firearm . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The second and third counts allege “Wanton Endangerment Involving a Firearm, a Felony.” According to the indictment, he “did unlawfully and feloniously and wantonly perform an act with a firearm which created a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to another person . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
In the fourth count, it is alleged that Locastro committed “Destruction of property, a Misdemeanor.” It says he “did unlawfully destroy, injure, or deface property, real or personal, that was not their own, to wit: a kitchen door and garage door . . . having a value of less than $2,500, against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
Grand jurors indicted Marilyn Elizabeth Propst Seay on one count of “Burglary, a Felony.” The count alleges that she “did unlawfully, feloniously, and burglariously break and enter . . . with the intent to commit a larceny . . . in violation of the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.
Grand jurors indicted Michael Andrew Webb on a total of four counts. The first count alleges “Fleeing in a Vehicle with Reckless Indifference, a Felony,” saying that “the Defendant did unlawfully, feloniously, and intentionally flee . . . in a vehicle from Deputy B. H. Raines, a law enforcement officer from the Pendleton County Sheriff’s Department . . . showing a reckless indifference to the safety of others, against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The second count against Webb alleges “Fleeing from an Officer by Any Means Other than the Use of a Vehicle, a Misdemeanor” from “Deputy B. H. Raines . . . and said Defendant knew . . . that the officer was trying to arrest him, against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
The third count alleges that Webb committed “Destruction of Property, a Misdemeanor . . . to wit: a metal gate . . . having a value of less than $2,500, against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
In the fourth count, Webb is accused of “Possession of a Controlled Substance, a Misdemeanor . . . (and) did unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally possess a controlled substance . . . to wit: Amphetamine against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.”
Grand jurors indicted Larry Gibbs Miller on three counts of “Delivery of a Controlled Substance . . . to wit: Methamphetamine . . . against the peace and dignity of the State of West Virginia.
