West Virginia man sentenced for trafficking fentanyl in Harrison County

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — A Wood County man with a “lengthy criminal history” was sentenced on Thursday after he was found guilty of trafficking fentanyl in West Virginia.

According to a release from the US Department of Justice, Price Javon Patterson, 37, of Parkersburg, was sentenced to 188 months (15.6 years) in prison for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

An investigation into Patterson was launched in 2022 after he was stopped for speeding in Harrison County. Officers said that they smelled marijuana coming from his car, which led to a subsequent search of the vehicle that netted $11,136 in cash as well as “items indicative of drug trafficking,” court documents say.

Officers then obtained a search warrant for Patterson’s hotel room where they found, a 9mm Grey Ghost Precision pistol with no serial number, ammo, and “thousands” of fentanyl stamps that were valued at around $50,000, the release said.

Patterson has been classified as a career offender due to his previous history of felony convictions including ones for assault, firearms possession and drug trafficking. He was also arrested in Clarksburg in 2016 after deputies found several drugs and a large amount of cash at a residence on South Linden Avenue that had three small children inside.

After he serves his sentence, Price will also serve four years of supervised release.

The Greater Harrison Drug Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department investigated this incident and Assistant US Attorney Brandon Flower prosecuted on behalf of the government.

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