On January 2 the Sutton Detachment of the West Virginia State Police received a complaint that a piece of equipment being offered locally for sale might be stolen. Trooper T.J. Bonetti along with Trooper B.J. Wiley, Sgt. B.K. Smith, Braxton County Sheriff’s Deputies and the Gassaway Police Chief located the individuals believed to be offering the JLG work platform for sale.
During the investigation, Sheriff’s Deputies observed one of four people being investigated throw a bag out of the vehicle. Deputy A. Jordan placed the male subject in handcuffs and retrieved the bag which was believed to of contained marijuana. When Deputy B. Williams attempted to place the female companion in restraints, she resisted which led the officer to having to force her to the ground in order to place her in handcuffs. The female was identified as Allyson Gonzalez Rivera, 36, of Charlotte, NC. In addition to other charges, she was also charged with obstructing an officer.
The following day, Trooper Bonetti contacted the Home Depot Loss Prevention department in North Carolina and determined that the work platform had been stolen from their Greensboro, NC location.
In addition to Rivera, Jason T. Williams, 32 of Raleigh, NC, Dominick Demetrius Cates, 30, of Charlotte, NC, and Anthony Abel, 37 of Garner, NC are all facing a host of charges related to the stolen property, marijuana possession and numerous traffic violations. Bond for each of the four was set at $40,000 by Magistrate Eric Skidmore. They were initially taken to the Central Regional Jail in lieu of that bond. They have since been released from custody to await additional court appearances.
The investigation is continuing.