West Virginia man to serve concurrent state sentences
WAYNESBURG – A West Virginia man who pleaded guilty Oct. 23 in Greene County Court on drunken driving charges was sentenced to a state correctional institution Wednesday by Judge Farley Toothman.
Anthony Scott Merritt, 34, of 341 34th St., Huntington, W.Va. pleaded guilty Oct. 23 to driving under the influence of alcohol as a second offense and four summary traffic violations from an April 19, 2012 arrest in Franklin Township. Toothman sentenced him to 1 to 5 years in prison to run concurrently to a West Virginia sentence Merritt is now serving.
In April, state police from Waynesburg responded to a call for a disturbance at the former McDonalds restaurant on Sugar Run Road. When officers reached the restaurant Merritt was in his vehicle in front of the drive-thru window.
Police said he quickly parked the car and ran inside and began yelling at store employees.
According to a criminal complaint in the matter, Merritt mumbled something about his girlfriend when asked by officers what his problem was. A store manager told police Merritt pulled up to the pay window at the drive-thru while talking on his cell phone. When told the amount owed for his order, Merritt attempted to give the cashier his phone. The manager then came to the window and Merritt handed the phone to her. She closed the window and Merritt began to bang on it.
Merritt’s blood-alcohol content was 0.230 percent. In addition to court costs and fees he was ordered to pay fines of $1,585.
Merritt is currently under sentence for grand larceny and fleeing from police officers in Cabell County, W.Va. This sentence stemmed from Merritt leading police on a high-speed chase in December 2012 that resulted in an accident which sent a Cabell County Sheriff’s deputy and two others to the hospital. Merritt fled when police observed him attempting to steal spare tires, according to news reports.
Greene County Sheriff’s deputies took Merritt into custody to be transported back to West Virginia to complete that sentence. Upon his projected release date from the West Virginia Department of Corrections on June 5, 2020, he will be taken into Pennsylvania custody and transferred to SCI-Pittsburgh for classification.