34 Face Charges in Wheeling Police Special Operations (2024)

photo by: Alan Olson

Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger holds a press conference Friday to announce a number of arrests in connection to two special operations held over the summer.

WHEELING – Police declared the fruits of two months-long operations Friday morning, announcing that 34 people were arrested or cited for a variety of crimes in the south and central Wheeling areas.

Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger announced the operations at a press conference Friday morning. The two operations took place in May and July after police collected and reviewed crime data and trends, as well as after having received multiple complaints from residents about increased criminal activity in the area from 16th to 48th streets.

Schwertfeger said that many of the crimes were tied to drug use and addiction, ranging from burglaries to thefts of car parts, copper and bicycles.

“Pretty much anything that wasn’t tied down was being removed or stolen, ultimately to cash or trade in for illegal drugs,” he said.

Schwertfeger said numerous crimes in the city were on the rise, with burglaries up 80% this year and larcenies up 45%, which he said were generally linked to the area concerned, and despite a 16% increase in arrests.

The key takeaway, Schwertfeger warned, was the high recidivism rate among those arrested, with a few suspects having been arrested multiple times in several locations over the past year prior to their arrest as part of the special operations.

Additionally, Schwertfeger also said 13 of those arrested in the two operations were either living in or visiting homeless encampments. One such encampment, underneath the Interstate 470 bridge, has been identified and slated for closure.

“At the end of the day, the message I want to convey is accountability,” he said. “Individuals who choose to commit criminal acts need to know that they will be held accountable. Individuals who have repeatedly proven that they cannot function in our society need to be incarcerated.”
Schwertefer ended the conference by calling for greater cooperation between the rungs of the justice system to more stringently enforce the law and serve the community.

“If legislative changes are needed, then we need to work toward that, and in some cases that may be the case. I know, and am proud to work with, our state legislators locally. The criminal justice system contains many facets, and at many levels – law enforcement, prosecutors and defense attorneys, judges, probation and parole officers, and elected officials. Public safety required all of these entities to be on top of their game.

“… Every one of these crimes has a victim, and we never talk about that. It’s time that we start to strive to reduce those numbers; our citizens in our city deserve that.”

Of those arrested, Wheeling police released the following names and charges:

Anthony Lee Arms, 41, of Wheeling, two counts of possession of controlled substance (methamphetamine and heroin);
Connie Sue Ballard, 43, of Wheeling, capias warrant;

Paul Allan Bloomfield Sr., 60, of Wheeling, two counts of possession of controlled substance (methamphetamine and fentanyl);
Dashawn Tyli-Levelle Brown, 26, of Cleveland, Ohio, possession of a stolen vehicle;

Ada Marie Canter, 33, of Wheeling, two counts of possession of controlled substance (methamphetamine and buprenorphine)
Herman Clemons Jr., 52, of Wheeling, possession of controlled substance (cocaine) and no operators;
Christy Lynn Conner, 28, of Wheeling, two counts of possession of controlled substance (methamphetamine and buprenorphine);
Derwin Scott Conway, 42, of Wheeling, possession of controlled substance (fentanyl);

Anthony Michael Decapito, 27, of Mount Pleasant, Ohio, capias warrant on original charges of two counts of possession of controlled substance and driving suspended;

Erica Elaine Donaldson, 50, of Wheeling, obstructing and trespassing;

Mandy Lynn Dunn, 47, of Wheeling, active felony warrant for entering without breaking;

William Earl-Dale Freeman, 37, of Wheeling, WV, entering without breaking (auto), eluding (fleeing on foot), and third offense domestic battery;

James Richard Greathouse, 32, of Wheeling possession of controlled substance (methamphetamine) and trespassing;

Savana Dawn Gwynn, 25, of Wheeling, trespassing;

Jason Allen Hall, 44, of Wheeling, cited for possession of fentanyl;

Christopher Cory Heckathorn, 36, of Wheeling, possession of controlled substance (Methamphetamine) and trespassing;

David Arthur Hess, 59, of Wheeling, ciited for possession of marijuana and driving suspended;
Ruby Lynn Holley, 42, of Wheeling, citation for open container;
Katherine Michelle Hooker, 31, of Wheeling, felony capias out of Brooke County;
Ralph Ray Huggins, 45, of Wheeling, active felony warrant for entering without breaking;

Brandon Shane Losby, 49, of Wheeling, citation for urinating in public;

Justin Allen Miller, 29, of Wheeling, felony capias warrant for reckless fleeing, warrant for petit larceny out of Marshall County, and new charge of possession of a controlled substance;

Joseph Stephen Paree, 33, of Wheeling, felony capias warrant for destruction of property charge out of Ohio County;
Derek Charles Rice, 30, of McMechen, active capias (possession of controlled substance) out of Marshall County;

Cameron Smudski, 27, of Wheeling, active burglary warrant out of Ohio County;

Patrick Coleman Smudski, 34, of Wheeling, possession of controlled substance (methamphetamine);
Tyler Ray Snyder, 37, of Bethesda, Ohio, citation for possession of controlled substance (fentanyl);

Keith Allen Stepchuck, 36, of Wheeling, eluding (fleeing on foot) and obstructing;

William Timmins, 46, of Wheeling, cited for possession of marijuana & cocaine;

Gerald Blaine Vaughan, 38, of Triadelphia, circuit court felony capias out of Ohio County, for probation violation;

Michael Christopher Williams, 36, of Benwood, possession of controlled substance