A federal court judge has sentence Stephanie Cottrill, 38, to six years and six months in prison for her central role in drug-related crimes and larceny in Ritchie County, the Department of Justice announced in a statement.
According to publicly available court records, Cottrill had manufactured Schedule I, II, and III controlled substances, including methamphetamine and heroin, when she lived in Ritchie County between November 2019 and January 2020.
Ritchie County Deputies had arrested Cottrill with two accomplices – Steven Edward Denkenberger, 34, and Christopher Michael Fairchild, 39 – at a traffic stop on January 27, 2020.
On that day, the officers had intended to serve a warrant on a Michael Devon Hammett at 1652 Union Rodge Road when they spotted the trio pull out of the driveway. When officers stopped the vehicle and questioned the occupants, Cottrill informed officers she had a syringe in a purse.
Upon a follow-up search of the vehicle and its occupants, officers retrieved several bags of money, methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana. The trio also had digital scales and materials for packing and delivering the controlled substances.
Police reported Denkenberger had been non-compliant when officers asked him to step out of the vehicle. He then reached out for a firearm in his waistband, but the deputies quickly disarmed and restrained him. On the other hand, Fairchild had complied with instructions, and deputies took him into custody without a fuss.
Cottrill, who has a criminal history of grand larceny in October 2018, pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy charges in September 2020. Her sentences will run consecutive to any Marion County Circuit Court sentence. According to offender records from the West Virginia Department of Corrections, Cottrill’s projected release date without parole is September 13, 2026.
Following her release, she will serve three years of supervision.
The conviction followed a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Ritchie County Sheriff’s Office.
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