Grand jury returns indictments in drug, intimidation cases
STEUBENVILLE — A Sherman Avenue resident who allegedly threatened an individual who had provided information to police was among four people indicted Wednesday by a Jefferson County grand jury.
Grand jurors ordered Shannon Lamont White, 48, of 952 Sherman Ave., to stand trial on a charge of intimidation, a felony.
White allegedly “threatened physical harm to an individual who had provided information to police regarding an earlier car crash,” authorities said.
Grand jurors also returned indictments against:
— Eulis Ellsworth Curenton, 52, of 617 Grandview Ave., Steubenville, on charges of possession of cocaine and having weapons while under disability, both felonies.
Curenton allegedly had cocaine and a gun in his possession when the county’s Drug Task Force took him into custody Feb. 19. Authorities said he is prohibited from having or using firearms due to a 2024 drug trafficking conviction in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court.
Prosecutors also asked the court to order forfeiture of the $2,854 Curenton allegedly had at the time of his arrest, deeming it proceeds of drug trafficking.
— Benjamin Michael Delguzzi, 40, no known address, on charges of having weapons while under disability, possession of cocaine, possession of a fentanyl-related compound and aggravated possession of drugs (methamphetamine).
The indictment includes specifications seeking forfeiture of a firearm as well as $278 allegedly in Delguzzi’s possession when the Drug Task Force took him into custody after searching the residence where he had been staying March 26.
— Delbert Wayne Tanner, 48, of 142 Eugene Loop, Follansbee, on a charge of aggravated possession of drugs, a felony.
Authorities allege Tanner had methamphetamine in his possession when a Steubenville police detective saw him place a backpack down “as if he were trying to hide it.” When asked if it was his, Tanner allegedly said he had “just found it.”
The detective reported seeing hypodermic needles inside the bag and seized it to prevent anyone from being injured. A sales receipt from Family Dollar for Moon Pies was also found inside. Authorities said surveillance video from the store showed Tanner purchasing the items, which were still in the backpack.
Grand jurors also amended an indictment returned last month against Devin Brandon, 29, of 1401 Wellesley Ave., Steubenville, to include a felony charge of possession of fentanyl, in addition to the cocaine possession and weapons-under-disability charges he originally faced.
The updated indictment reflects the results of laboratory analysis of substances seized during a Jan. 22 search of his residence, authorities said.
Prosecutors are also seeking forfeiture of $3,764 allegedly in Brandon’s possession at the time of his arrest, along with a one-year sentencing specification because a firearm was involved. Brandon is prohibited from having or using weapons due to a 2022 conviction for involuntary manslaughter and a 2023 conviction for aggravated assault, both in Jefferson County Common Pleas Court.



