Ohio man charged after allegedly admitting to robbing White Hall GoMart while high on fentanyl

WHITE HALL, W.Va. (WBOY) — An Ohio man has been charged after allegedly admitting to robbing a convenience store in Marion County while he was under the influence of fentanyl.

On Aug. 16, officers with the White Hall Police Department responded to a call of an armed robbery at the GoMart on White Hall Boulevard, according to a criminal complaint.

During their investigation, officers determined that Marlin Yates, 37, of Sciotoville, Ohio, “did present deadly force (firearm) to the attendant at the convenience store” and that he demanded cash from the employee, officers said.

Yates then fled the scene, which, according to a separate criminal complaint, occurred on the northbound area of U.S. Route 250 toward Fairmont Avenue and into the city of Fairmont.

Officers with the Fairmont Police Department said they were able to locate Yates approaching the intersection at Mary Lou Retton Drive, where Yates stopped at the traffic light. Officers then attempted to perform a traffic stop on Yates’ vehicle, which they said had a stolen Maryland registration.

When officers attempted the traffic stop, Yates then “went around the car in front of him and through the red light,” at which point a pursuit ensued. During the pursuit, Yates reached “in excess of 75 miles per hour” and had “crossed the double yellow center line, drove down the center turn-only lane into oncoming traffic and through red lights,” the complaint said.

At the 500 block of Fairmont Avenue, officers brought Yates to a stop after initiating a “controlled vehicle collision” with an officer’s patrol vehicle. Officers said that Yates was then ordered “at gunpoint” to get on the ground where he was taken into custody.

In a post-Miranda interview, officers said that Yates “admitted he had consumed fentanyl” and “was under the influence” at the time of the incident. In the complaint filed by the White Hall Police Department, Yates “admitted that he was attempting to intimidate the employee of Go-Mart” by pointing the firearm at them while demanding cash.

Officers also noted that Yates has a prior conviction from the state of Ohio for “aggravated robbery,” according to the complaint.

Yates has been charged with armed robbery, fleeing with reckless indifference, fleeing DUI and use/presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail on a $400,000 bond.

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