Augusta County grand jury indictments

An Augusta County grand jury Monday indicted:

* Kathy N. Campbel, 56, of Afton, and John Blackwell, 58, of Lyndhurst, for charges connected to a theft ring busted in Augusta County in November. Blackwell faces two charges of receiving stolen goods. Campbell is charged with two counts of petty larceny. Augusta County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. A.C. Powers said in November that a band of thieves reeled in cash and drugs in exchange for stealing packs of oysters along with steaks and burgers and camouflage clothes and ammunition from Dominion Outdoors, the Augusta Farm Bureau and other businesses. Authorities found more than $5,000 in stolen goods during a search of a Waynesboro home. Two men have already been found guilty of receiving stolen goods in the case.

* Christopher Houchins, 30, of Lerona, W. Va., on six counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor and a charge of using a computer to solicit sex. Authorities caught Houchins in a sting in October in which an officer posed as a 14-year-old girl online. Houchins allegedly sent photos of himself to the officer. The computer solicitation charge carries a mandatory five-year minimum sentence because man interacted with a “victim” whom he had reason to believe was under 15. He is due in Augusta County Circuit Court June 8.

* Chad L. Cauley, 20, of Swoope, on one charge of possessing a firearm on school grounds. Augusta County Sheriff’s Office deputies found Cauley with a small-caliber handgun after a Buffalo Gap High School game Oct. 24. Cauley was also charged with being drunk in public, possessing alcohol on school grounds and four charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The felony firearm charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

* Dwayne Lee White, 29, of Waynesboro, on a charge of malicious wounding for beating a 26-year-old woman Nov. 29. Authorities with the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office said the woman went to Augusta Medical Center for cuts to her forehead and lips. White was initially charged with abduction, but that charge was not presented to grand jury. He remains in custody at Middle River Regional Jail in Verona and is scheduled for a plea hearing May 18.

* Four people for the theft of a safe with $8,100 cash from the Staunton home of a 55-year-old man in January. Amanda Cook, 24, of Fishersville, and Phillip Ratliff, 23, and Suzette Ratliff, 19, of Waynesboro, each face charges of grand larceny and conspiring to commit grand larceny for allegedly stealing the money. Cook, who authorities said knew the victim for about a year, convinced him to ride to a store to buy alcohol the night of the theft, leaving other suspects in the home. During the alcohol run, Cook also got the victim to stop to purchase cigarettes — buying valuable time. When the pair returned, Cook remained in her car while the victim went into his home, only to find the other suspects and his money missing. The man chased Cook into Staunton, but could not keep up, authorities said. Also indicted was Angela Hartley, 30, of Waynesboro, for being an accessory after the fact and for receiving stolen goods. She shares a North Bath Avenue home with the Ratliffs.