On July 16, 2025, Daquain Bass, 25, of Martins Ferry, Ohio, was convicted of “Possession With Intent to Deliver Cocaine” and “Possession with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine,” both felony crimes, as well as the misdemeanor offense of “Fleeing”.
City of Wheeling Police Officers initially arrested Bass in March, 2025, when he was observed in the passenger seat of a vehicle by Sgt. Jason Hupp during a routine patrol. Police believed the passenger to be Bass who was wanted at the time. A traffic stop was conducted and Bass fled on foot briefly before he was apprehended by additional police officers who responded to the scene.
Bass was found to be in possession of multiple drugs, including fentanyl, crack cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine. Following an Indictment returned by the May, 2025 Ohio County Grand Jury, Bass entered a guilty plea to two felony drug offenses and the fleeing charge and was sentenced by First Judicial Circuit Court Judge Michael Olejasz to a year for the fleeing, followed by not less than one nor more than fifteen years in prison for the drug convictions.
Additionally, on July 17, 2025, Ame Rena Bumpous was convicted of multiple felony drug offenses stemming from a lengthy investigation by the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force which led to an Indictment returned by the May 2025 by an Ohio County Grand Jury. Bumpous entered a guilty plea to two counts of “Possession with Intent to Deliver Fentanyl” and one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Xylazine. First Judicial Circuit Court Judge David Sims sentenced Bumpous, 54 of Wheeling, to not less than 3 nor more than 33 years in prison.
Shawn Turak, Ohio County Prosecuting Attorney, credits these convictions to the tireless work of City of Wheeling Police Department and the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force.
“They do excellent work, and they are relentless. This is what we need to continue to protect the community from the poison these dealers are selling.”
Turak noted that the West Virginia drug laws got even tougher. “Effective July 11, 2025, the penalties for Conspiracy to Deliver or Distribute Drugs and Transporting Drugs into the State have risen substantially. Additionally, there are mandatory and higher prison sentences for Delivery of Drugs Causing Overdose Deaths. As a prosecutor, I am grateful to the legislature for their work. These dealers are killing our citizens or feeding a habit which inevitably leads to crimes being committed in the name of addiction. These tougher laws give law enforcement and prosecution additional muscle to keep the community safe.”
