Paul William Derby, 30, of Littleton, New Martinsville, pleaded guilty Sept. 17 to a one-count information of conspiracy to deliver a controlled narcotic substance, heroin.

For this offense, Derby was sentenced to the maximum sentence, one to five years in the West Virginia Penitentiary for Men.

Prosecuting Attorney Timothy Haught stated that Derby had conspired with an unknown male to purchase the heroin in Pennsylvania. Fifty-two stamp bags of heroin were recovered from Derby. Haught indicated that when Derby was picked up, there was a passenger in the vehicle who was also charged, but Derby had indicated that the heroin was his.

On his Wetzel County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Facebook page, Haught expressed thanks to West Virginia State Troopers Jared Steven Newman and Patrick Terrence Cullinan for the “excellent job they did in arresting Derby.” He added, “The West Virginia State Police has done an excellent job at interdicting and arresting individuals transporting illegal drugs in to this state. I want to thank these troopers again for the great job they did in this case. Their work resulted in a very quick conviction, saving Wetzel County thousands of dollars in jail fees.

“The court finds a factual basis on which to accept this despicable plea,” The Honorable Judge David W. Hummel noted in court that day. “You are going to plea conspiracy to deliver death . . . I mean, heroin.”

In another matter, Haught noted on the Wetzel County Prosecuting Attorney Office’s Facebook page that the Wetzel County Commission is charged $48.25 a day for every inmate awaiting sentencing. “Once an inmate is convicted and sentenced for a felony, he is transferred from the county commission’s charge and the State of West Virginia picks up the fee for incarceration,” he noted.

Haught stated that in August, Wetzel County’s regional jail bill was $28,129.75.

He said this bill was for 22 misdemeanor commitments and 19 felony commitments.

The prosecutor said alternative sentencing such as “home confinement, drug court, mental health court, and probation are often used for low risk, non-violent offenders to defray the costs of incarceration, both at the state and local level.”

“However, regional jail bills to our county remain high as a substantial number of offenders receive jail as punishment,” noted Haught.