WELLSBURG — The Wellsburg man arrested in connection with the June 20 shooting death of Kerry Casto and a Follansbee man who has been accused of more than 200 incidents of sexual contact with a child in his care were among 33 indicted by a Brooke County grand jury earlier this week.

Michael Allen Groch, 39, of Wellsburg, faces the charge of murder after being found by the grand jury of deliberately shooting and killing Casto, a 58-year-old Mingo Junction man, at the Fowler Hill Road trucking garage where he worked.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Groch, co-workers at the garage said Casto had been working on a tractor trailer there when they heard shots fired and found Groch sitting in the parking lot and tossing a pistol away from himself.

Kenneth Cooper, 58, of Follansbee, was indicted on 212 counts of sexual abuse by a custodian for allegedly engaging in or attempting to engage in sexual intercourse, intrusion or contact with a child in his care on multiple occasions during a four-year period.

Under West Virginia law, penalties for the crime, a felony, are five to 15 years in prison, or a fine of $1,000 to $10,000 for each count.

Also indicted was the Weirton pair who reportedly brought several children to the Ohio River in Weirton without proper supervision or flotation devices, resulting in the death of a 13-year-old girl, on June 30.

Joshua Lockerbie, 35, and Ashley Shelton, 29, both of Weirton, were each indicted for one count of child neglect resulting in death and several counts of child neglect creating a risk of death or serious injury.

Weirton Police said heavy rainfall that day led to the river being high, and a current carried 13-year-old Reese Hanshaw of Burgettstown 50 yards from the river bank.

Police said ambulance personnel at the scene and staff at WVU Medicine Weirton Medical Center were unable to revive her.

They said Lockerbie and Shelton knew none of the children, who ranged in age from 5 to 13, were experienced swimmers and admitted to not being strong swimmers themselves.

Also indicted were:

�–� Kelanie Blanton, 28, of 1403 Oakgrove Ave., Steubenville, for attempted murder, malicious assault and child abuse resulting in injury.

According to a criminal complaint filed against her, Blanton brought her infant child to WVU Medicine Weirton Medical Center with a fractured skull and bruises to a knee, thigh and buttocks.

The complaint states Blanton yanked the child from its car seat but initially suggested the injuries may have occurred while at a babysitters.

Blanton also was indicted on several counts of child neglect resulting in injury for allegedly leaving the infant and another child to sleep in the basement of her home without supervision on several nights.

�–� Mia Scallan, 33, of 61 Mercury Drive, Chester, for three counts of child abuse resulting in injury for allegedly punching, laying on and attempting to choke children in her care.

She also was indicted on three counts of child neglect creating risk of injury or death for reported “deplorable conditions” at the home where they lived.

�–� Caron Eastman, 46, of Warren, Ohio, for attempted murder, malicious assault, unlawful restraint and reckless driving in connection with a July 20 incident in which she allegedly stabbed a woman with a pocketknife, blocked a roadway to prevent the woman and a man with her from driving away and driving her own vehicle into theirs.

�–� William Walnoha, 44, of 58 27th St., Wellsburg, for malicious assault for allegedly striking a woman in the head with a propane tank.

�–� David Michael Bennett, 68, address unknown, on 17 counts of first-degree sexual abuse for alleged forced sexual contact with a person on multiple occasions in 1976 and 1977 and two counts of sexual assault allegedly involving two other victims in 2006 and 2007.

�–� Lester Meredith, 48, of 27 Gullette Lane, Weirton, for third-degree sexual assault, sexual assault of a child in his care, and failing to register as a sex offender.

�–� John Clark, 46, of 118 Lee Ave., Weirton, for second-offense battery on an officer, intimidation against a public official for allegedly kicking the head of an arresting officer and threatening to do harm to him after being placed in the back seat of a police cruiser.

�–� Carissa Burchfield, 43, of 713 East Fernwood Drive, Toronto, for fraudulent schemes, obtaining by false pretenses and insurance fraud.

�–� Keith Chambers, 34, of Benwood, W.Va., for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and conspiring to commit the crime.

�–� Jessica Haught, 43, of 556 Banfield Ave., Follansbee, for entering without breaking, grand larceny, conspiring and third-offense shoplifting.

�–� Jesse Hubbard, 43, of 52 Woodbridge Park, Weirton, failure to register as a sex offender, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, and prohibited possession of a firearm.

�–� Joshua Johnson, 33, of Canonsburg, Pa., for grand larceny, fleeing from an officer with reckless indifference to others’ safety, attempted assault on an officer and prohibited possession of a firearm due to a prior conviction.

The charges stem from a March 27 incident in which Johnson allegedly stole a truck parked outside a business on American Way in Weirton and was pursued by police along U.S. Route 22 and nearly struck a police officer in his vehicle.

�–� Dustin Kausky, 39, of Apartment 1, 1 Gullette Lane, Weirton, for failing to register as a sex offender.

�–� Steven Litman, 33, of Moundsville, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and conspiring.

�–� Larry Maynard, 51, of 48 Boston Lane, Wellsburg, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and conspiring.

�–� Scott A. McGraw Jr., 39, of 332 Mineral Ave., Weirton, entering without breaking, grand larceny and conspiring.

�–� Megan Moore, 45, of 102 Poplar St., Beech Bottom, for destruction of property.

�–� Cole Mullins, 31, of 40 Lykes Addition, Colliers, for intimidation of a witness.

�–� Devin Silver, 31, of 127 10th St., Wellsburg, for prohibited possession of a firearm and prohibited carrying of a concealed firearm.

�–� Victoria Steriopoulos, 37, of Pittsburgh, on two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

�–� Michael Stewart, 50, of 101 Township Road 228, Richmond, for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

�–� Nick Varlas, 46, of 149 Highland Hills Drive, Follansbee, for failing to register as a sex offender.

�–� Charles Wade, 37, of 58 27th St., Wellsburg, for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

�–� James Wells Jr., 37, of Sardis, Ohio, for failing to register as a sex offender.

�–� Jacob White, 28, of Shadyside, Ohio, for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

�–� Reva Yost, 34, of 720 Virginia Ave., Follansbee, for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, third-offense shoplifting and entering without breaking.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)