Five charged after alleged contraband run to FCI McDowell

Deputies watching a stretch of Edmore Village Road near Welch stopped what investigators say was a coordinated attempt to carry contraband toward FCI McDowell. Five people now face charges after the June 29 chase ended in the woods between Edmore Road and the federal prison, and one recovered football contained tobacco and a cell phone.

Chief Deputy Dalton Martin and Deputy M. D. Pertee were conducting surveillance at about 12:47 p.m. in an area McDowell County law enforcement has described as a corridor used to introduce contraband into the prison. Deputies saw three men leave a black SUV with South Carolina plates and run toward FCI McDowell carrying footballs, which officers say are often used to hide illegal items. When one of the men crossed onto prison property and ran after being confronted, the pursuit spread into the woods before all three were detained.

The five people identified in the case are Marquevious Williams, Tymarion Floyd, Tylik Pratt, Shunda Robinson and Kelly Wight. Deputies also detained two women who were inside the SUV, and investigators later said the suspects admitted they were being paid $500 to drop off contraband near the prison. The sheriff’s office charged the five with aiding escape and other offenses related to a correctional facility, along with conspiracy and additional criminal counts.

Martin said the response depended on quick coordination with prison officials. “Our deputies acted swiftly and collaboratively with FCI McDowell officials to stop contraband from reaching the facility,” he said.

The case landed at a facility that already sits under close watch. Federal Correctional Institution McDowell is a medium-security prison with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp, a layout that makes the perimeter around Welch a critical security zone. Local deputies have treated the Edmore Village Road area as a recurring entry point, and the latest arrests suggest the prison’s outer roads remain vulnerable to drop-offs timed to avoid direct contact with staff.

McDowell County has seen similar contraband enforcement before. On February 9, 2024, correctional officers detected a drone over FCI McDowell, and that case led to the discovery of cell phones, tobacco and marijuana. Against that backdrop, the five arrests near Edmore Village Road fit into a longer pattern of attempts to move drugs and communications gear into the prison by air, by vehicle and, now, by a roadside handoff.