Waynesboro Police file methylone charges against four

Waynesboro Police brought numerous additional drug charges today after received forensic results on drug evidence seized during a raid on Jan. 2 at 411 West Main Street. Howe Truslow, 53 years of age, whose downtown Waynesboro residence recently made headlines after being raided multiple times for drugs, is now wanted for nine additional felony charges.

Truslow was originally charged with one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.  Police seized multiple items of evidence and sent them to the Roanoke Forensic Lab for testing. Test results showed that Truslow was in possession of a smorgasbord of illegal narcotics, including heroin, MDMA, methylone, oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine, amphetamine (Adderal), and LSD.   Each of these netted a separate offense for Truslow for violations of Virginia State Code 18.2- 250, possession of controlled substances.

Two other subjects were at the scene of the 2 January raid and were also charged today.  Ronald Dale Forester, 69 years of age, from Verona, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and Steven Franklin McFadden, 51 years of age, from Howardsville, was charged with possession of methamphetamine.

Police also obtained two warrants for Matthew Lewis Forester, 36 years of age, from Verona (Ronald Forester’s son), was charged with possession of heroin and Methylone, stemming from a search warrant served on 18 December, 2015 at 629 North Delphine Avenue.

The arrest of Truslow and Forrester for Methylone possession mark the first time police have seen the new drug in this area. Methylone is a dangerous new second generation synthetic drug which closely resembles MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy. There are multiple cases in which the consumption of the drug caused the user to act so erratically and combative that law enforcement had to be summonsed. In several cases, the users began to exhibit seizure like symptoms and extremely high body temperatures, ultimately resulting in death. There is only one prior case of Methylone possession that police are aware of.

The presence of methylone in this area is particularly disturbing to police because in the very short history of the drug since it’s arrival in the U.S., there have been many documented cases of violent encounters with its’ users.