3 indicted by grand jury after Franklin Co. bootlegging raid

More than 180 gallons of moonshine were seized from the site in May.

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Neil Harvey | 981-3376

Thursday, August 8, 2013

A Penhook man and woman, and her adult daughter, have been indicted by a grand jury following a bootlegging raid last spring in Franklin County.

Ricky Nelson Matherly, 54, was indicted by a grand jury this week on a charge of illegally manufacturing alcohol, a felony, and on misdemeanor counts of possessing an unauthorized distilling apparatus and having untaxed alcoholic beverages.

Matherly was arrested and charged May 6 after agents from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control raided a site in eastern Franklin County and destroyed two 800-gallon black pot stills, according to Virginia ABC spokeswoman Valerie Hubbard.

The agents also seized more than 180 gallons of moonshine which, Hubbard said, possess a street value of between $7,000 and $10,000.

She said the 1,600 gallons of live mash that was also seized could produce up to 100 gallons of liquor and called it “a mid-size operation” in an email on Wednesday.

Also indicted in the case this week was Debra Adams Walker, 54, on a charge of possessing a firearm as a felon.

Her daughter, Debra Nicole Walker, 36, of Rocky Mount was indicted on a charge of manufacturing moonshine and having distilling equipment without a permit.

During the raid, agents discovered a small amount of marijuana, according to the ABC, but it does not appear that Matherly or the Walkers were charged with possessing it.

In 2005, Matherly was federally convicted of knowingly possessing a distillery and was sentenced to a year in prison.

He’s scheduled to go to trial on this latest charge of making moonshine on Sept. 18 in Franklin County.

No court date has been set for Debra Adams Walker or Debra Nicole Walker.

Manufacturing of illegal alcohol can carry a punishment of one to five years in prison.

Monday, August 12, 2013