Captured fugitive linked to meth ring
A wanted Jamestown, N.Y. man who was captured by the FBI in Warren County earlier this week after sending two schools into lockout is the latest person named in a local methamphetamine conspiracy ring.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office on Thursday announced that a federal grand jury had indicted 41-year-old Henry Stovall Jr. on charges of methamphetamine conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and using and maintaining drug-involved premises.
The news came after Youngsville and Eisenhower schools were placed on lockout Monday for about an hour after Warren County School District officials were notified of a wanted man on the run in the Wrightsville area.
“This is something that’s out of our control,” Superintendent Amy Stewart said Monday. “We’re just being conservative and cautious.”
During lockouts, no one is permitted into the building though the school operates normally inside. The lockout ended after the man–later identified as Stovall –was located and apprehended by members of the FBI’s Office in Buffalo, N.Y.
According to U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr., Stovall was arraigned Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer in Buffalo and was detained.
Fourteen Jamestown-area residents were named last week as part of a 42-count federal indictment for their part in an alleged methamphetamine conspiracy. Stovall was the 15th person to be indicted on the conspiracy charges.
Jamestown police dubbed the federal grand jury indictment as “Operation Melt Down Part 2” in reference to a large-scale drug conspiracy brought to light in June in which officials outlined how methamphetamine originating from Mexico was being distributed to Jamestown and Dunkirk, N.Y.
Also named as part of the indictment were Zackiel Fields Jr., Ernest Cauley Jr., Ernie, Jamell Trapp, Ramael Fields, Stephanie L. Harrison, Marcus Martin Bowman, Danny W. Michael III, Alexis V. Hall, Destiny J. Hare, Andrew C. Bennett, Searcy E. Fields, Jacob A. Motherwell, Michael A. Davis, and Stacie N. Yancer.
According to U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga, the group is accused of “operating a drug trafficking organization, primarily involving methamphetamine, in the Jamestown area since March 2017.”
During the execution of search warrants throughout the investigation, officers reportedly recovered 10 firearms, multiple rounds of ammunition, 20 cellphones, drug paraphernalia and U.S. currency.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $10 million fine.





