According to a criminal complaint, In the Wal Mart parking lot on May 16, 2026, Cpl. S.M. Simmons and Ptlm. M.S. Wilson were on routine patrol just doing a basic drive around.
It was there they witnessed a male and female leaving Wal Mart and noticed the female moving rather strangely and appeared to be under the influence of a narcotic based upon the officers’ training and professional experience.
Based upon that observation and to play it safe, one of the officers ran the license plate of a blue Chevy Cruze (35M724) through his in-vehicle CAD terminal and the registration returned with an expiration date of March 2026.
The two individuals then entered the vehicle and left Wal Mart through the back before turning on Percy Drive, then right onto Hunter Lane which put them right back to the Wal Mart parking lot at the northside exit eventually. At this point, the officer was behind their vehicle and noticed multiple items hanging from the rear-view mirror which was obstructing the view to drive. They also had a license plate cover obstructing the view of their registration sticker which indicated improper display of the registration plate.
Once the Chevy headed out onto Jefferson Street, the officer pulled a routine traffic stop, but the vehicle was slow to pull over and passed by two wide open parking lots on the right-hand side of the road before eventually coming to a stop in the Ruby Tuesday parking lot.
Ptlm. M.S. Wilson then got out and made contact with the driver who identified himself as Steven Johnson. Johnson then told Ptlm. Wilson that he believed his license was suspended. Wilson confirmed through dispatch that for numerous reasons, the license was indeed, suspended with an effective date of 4/28/26.
Wilson then asked the female passenger, identified as Keri Sarver if she possessed a valid license and Sarver said she thought hers was suspended as well. Dispatch then confirmed that hers was also suspended.
Ptlm. Wilson asked Johnson for consent to search the vehicle, but Johnson stated the car was not his and did not consent to the search. The officer then radioed Sgt. Rodoussakis of the Lewisburg Police Department and requested he respond to the traffic stop and bring his K9 partner, Kodi to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle.
When Rodoussakis arrived, an open-air sniff was performed and Sgt. Rodoussakis advised that K9 Kodi had positively indicated on the vehicle. Based on that indication, the car was searched due to probable cause by Ptlm. Wilson and Ptlm Juma. According to the complaint, drug paraphernalia was located including used hypodermic needles, straws with drug residue, individual containers consistent with narcotics use, and folded tinfoil containing a burnt residue. Based upon these findings, the officer conducted a pat-down search of Steven Johnson. During the pat-down, Johnson was in possession of $200 US currency and one cellular phone.
The officer then called Keri Sarver over to conduct a pat-down search. As she walked over, the officers noticed her keeping her legs tightly together and was wearing short jean shorts. Sgt. Rodoussakis and another officer noticed a plastic bag between her legs of her shorts. The officers asked Sarver what she was concealing and she removed the baggie and said it was fentanyl. The substance was later weighed and came in at approximately 40.14 grams according to the complaint.
The officer then asked Sarver if she had any additional narcotics and she said she did not. The officers concluded her pat-down search and at that time, nothing else was found. She was then placed in handcuffs and read her Miranda rights, and she advised she did not wish to speak. She was then put in the officers’ patrol vehicle. Both Sarver and Johnson were placed under arrest, and Sarver possessed two cell phones.
Once they arrived at the Lewisburg Police Department for processing, Ptlm. Wislon was escorting Sarver out of the vehicle and noticed a white powdery substance covering the seat and the prisoner partition area. Wislon asked Sarver if she had any additional narcotics and she originally said no but later admitted to having “speed” in her hoodie pocket. It was identified as methamphetamine and later weighed approximately 21.39 grams. She stated it had been in her hoodie pocket the whole time.
After the officer reviewed the partition camera footage, he observed that Sarver had maneuvered her handcuffs to the front of her body, removed the bags of meth from her person and caused one of the bags to rupture before putting it in her hoodie pocket. An obstruction charge was added.
Cpl. Tate transported Johnson to the Lewisburg Police Department where he was read his Miranda rights. Johnson spoke with the officer and said he had no involvement in the narcotics and could provide information in exchange for not going to jail.
Based upon the officers’ training and experience, the total amount of narcotics recovered–approx. 61.53 grams or 2.17 ounces in three separate baggies–is consistent with the delivery and distribution of narcotics rather than personal use. Due to Johnson and Sarver’s relationship, the length of time it took them pull over, and the circumstances surrounding the traffic stop, the officer had reason to believe that both individuals had knowledge of the narcotics in their possession.
Search warrants will be obtained for three seized cell phones, and all recovered narcotics will be submitted to the WV State Police Forensic Lab for analysis and identification.
Disclaimer: A criminal complaint is an accusation. All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The information provided is sourced from public records and official statements from the Greenbrier County Magistrate Court and law enforcement agencies.
