More than two dozen people were arraigned in Wetzel County as part of what law officials described as a major drug bust at an apartment complex.

Officials said 29 people were arrested and indicted in connection with an investigation at the New Martinsville Villa Apartments in September. On Monday and Tuesday, all of the suspects were arraigned.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Judge Mark Karl had not set trial dates for all of the defendants, but he is expected to do so early in November.


Officials said some of the suspects are facing multiple charges, and Wetzel County Prosecutor Tim Haught said the process of defendants entering pleas or going to trial could take up to a year.

"We are required to try them all separately, so we could have 29 trials. Some of them may plead guilty, some may want a trial, so we have to prepare for that," Haught said.


He said most of the defendants have bonded out of jail but some remain behind bars.


Haught said the living and safety concerns at the apartment complex have improved significantly.

"I speak with the manager of the Villas on a normal basis now and she indicates to me that there has been a definite improvement. We've gotten a lot of compliments from people who live there that the living circumstances are much improved," he said.

Haught said he is ready to go when the judge is and said this isn't the first time he's indicted this many people on drug charges.


The investigation is ongoing and Haught said more arrests could come, but right now his focus is in the courtroom.

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