West Virginia
Man faces up to 30 years for drug trafficking into W.Va.
BOONE COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A man from Texas faces up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty Friday to trafficking a large quantity of methamphetamine into West Virginia, the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Steven Michael Pena, 50, of Friendswood, Texas, pleaded guilty in Boone County Circuit Court to bringing nearly six pounds of methamphetamine into West Virginia from Texas. Investigators said the meth was 94% pure and hidden behind a vehicle’s dashboard.
Pena’s arrest followed a lengthy investigation involving the US 119 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, West Virginia State Police, and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department.
Investigators uncovered a conspiracy between Pena and a man from Boone County identified as Aubrey Jack Turley II. Along with the drugs, law enforcement officers seized Pena’s vehicle and $9,000 in cash.
Turley already has been convicted and sentenced from one to 15 years in prison.
Pena, who has a number of number of drug convictions in Texas, will be sentenced at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Boone County Courthouse, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
He is currently in custody in the South Central Regional Jail.
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West Virginia
Morrisey signs Baylea’s Law, increasing criminal penalties in W.Va. for DUI causing death
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey officially signed House Bill 4712 into law on Friday.
The bill, better known as Baylea’s Law, increases criminal penalties against those who are convicted of driving under the influence resulting in death. The bill is named after Baylea Bower, a 24-year-old woman from Boone County who was killed in a car crash on Easter in 2025 caused by a drunk driver.
The bill passed the House in February, with several of Bower’s family and friends gathered at the West Virginia Capitol in support of the bill.
“Obviously we’re going to be heartbroken,” Bower’s friend India Henderson said. “We have the lifetime sentence of not having Baylea. But if this does help save a life in the future and cause someone to not want to go out and cause this tragedy, then that is a win.”
In accordance with the passage of the bill, Baylea’s Law will take effect on June 12.
“West Virginia will no longer allow those who drive while impaired to escape the full weight of justice,” Morrisey said Friday in a press release. “Baylea’s Law gives our legal system the teeth to demand absolute accountability for the most heartbreaking crimes. Today, our laws stand firmly on the side of victims and their families.”
Specifically, Baylea’s Law introduces the offense of aggravated DUI resulting in death, which will carry the following mandatory sentences, according to a release from Morrisey’s office:
- Five to 30 years in prison
- Fine of $2,000 to $10,000
- Lifetime revocation of the offender’s driver’s license
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