CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Fayette County man has pleaded guilty to federal drug distribution charges following an investigation that uncovered significant quantities of illegal drugs and a firearm.

William Joseph Kessler III, 44, of Beckwith, entered his guilty plea on Thursday, December 11, 2025, to one count of distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl and a second count of distribution of methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Kessler sold a total of 18 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on June 25, 2024.

The sales occurred during two separate transactions, one in Raleigh County and the other at Kessler’s residence in Beckwith. The following day, June 26, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his res

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