Cannelton couple charged with multiple felonies after shots fired in Fayette County

FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (WVNS) — A couple faces felony charges, including child neglect, in Fayette County.

35-year-old Zachariah T. Roat and 32-year-old Kristina L. Roat, both of Cannelton, were charged with the felony offense of Possession With Intent To Deliver Schedule 1 Narcotics, and two counts of Child Neglect Creating Risk of Injury or Death.

Zachariah Roat was also charged with the misdemeanor offenses of Shooting Within 500 Feet of a Dwelling, and Shooting Across a Public Roadway.

Deputies with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a disturbance with shots fired complaint at the Cannelton Mobile Home Park at around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 25, 2024. Once the deputies arrived at the scene they found a man and a woman, identified as Zachariah and Kristina Roat, standing on a porch with an empty gun holster in plain sight on the banister.

When the deputies spoke with the couple, Zachariah Roat told them that he fired a gun one time into the woods across the road after an argument with a neighbor. The deputies then took Zachariah Roat inside to get the gun, where they then saw residual pieces of marijuana in the bedroom, digital scales, and plastic bags.

The deputies went back outside and asked for permission to search the house. After receiving permission, the deputies searched the inside of the house where the residual pieces of marijuana in the bedroom, digital scales, and plastic bags was found missing.

Two minors were found inside the house and in an interview, one of the minors informed members of law enforcement that his father texted him and told him to hide the objects.

After a further search, deputies found a large amount of marijuana, packaging materials, and a large amount of U.S. currency.

CPS workers later arrived at the house, and the minors were taken to stay with a relative.

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