MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Berkeley County man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading no contest to charges stemming from a fatal drug trafficking case.
According to Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Joseph R. Kinser, 51-year-old Brian Keith Nolls of Hedgesville entered a no contest plea in Berkeley County Circuit Court to one count of delivery of a controlled substance resulting in death and one count of carrying a concealed firearm as a convicted felon.
Following the plea, the court sentenced Nolls to a combined 18-year prison term, which prosecutors said is the maximum sentence allowed under the convictions.
Authorities said the investigation was conducted by the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and the West Virginia State Police.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Shannon F. Kiser.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but has the same legal effect as a guilty plea for purposes of sentencing in criminal court.
