Fentanyl victims group pushing for Naloxone in all school

Read the original article and watch the video on the Queen City News website.

STATESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — “I’m doing this because my 24-year-old daughter, Sophia, was killed by fentanyl on August 16th. And I didn’t even know how to spell fentanyl,” said Barb Walsh, the executive director of the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina.

She’s been a voice for families suffering the loss of a loved one by fentanyl poisoning.

“It’s just a network of damaged families who are getting together and finding their power and their passion to heal one another, but also to stop that not from killing someone else,” Walsh said.

The network includes counties like Mecklenburg, Rowan, Iredell, and Catawba. Pictures of those who lost their lives to the poisoning lined the walls at the Bristol Road community center.

Many of their families are doing their best to keep their memories alive.

“Fentanyl took my husband on November 2023, And it has changed our whole daily routine. He was in my house every single day walking around and now he’s not,” said Stephanie Triplett. She started “Embers for Ashes” in response to the death of her husband.

“In 2022, my son T.J. passed away of fentanyl poisoning. He had 18 nanograms of fentanyl in his body, which is enough to kill nine people. He had taken what he thought was oxycodone, but it was a pill that had fentanyl. And he’s been gone since 2022,” said Stephanie Duck. She started “TJ’s Story Lives On”

Through tears, families discussed their losses — but also laid out an action plan to save other victims from death – putting naloxone in every school.

“We just don’t know where a young person might encounter fentanyl. And so the safest thing is to have an antidote within the school, just like an ied, just like an EpiPen, just like a fire extinguisher. It’s not expensive. So we’re advocating for doses per school, not just with school resource officers, but as an emergency first aid kit,” Walsh said.

Fight fentanyl poisoning and learn at a local Race Against Drugs event

It has been reported that ten people in North Carolina die each day as a result of fentanyl poisoning and over 375 people in Davidson County have also died as a result since 2015. Recently Davidson County has been inundated with more deaths associated with fentanyl. It is saddening to hear the number of individuals that have lost their lives from fentanyl poisoning and the statistics are as shocking when the age range of those killed by fentanyl is exposed. Locally, there have been countless arrests made by law enforcement of persons selling the deadly drug within our own community. There have also been arrests made of parents and caretakers of children that are being poisoned after ingesting the drug, unaware. This dangerous drug effects everyone and has the potential of killing someone that each of us know and loves, if it hasn’t already. It is time to end the excuses that too many live by, that it is not our problem, because it now is.

The General Assembly recognizes that deaths due to opioids are devastating families and communities across North Carolina. The General Assembly finds that the opioid crisis is overwhelming medical providers engaged in the lawful distribution of controlled substances and is straining prevention and treatment efforts. As a result of these related deaths, the General Assembly enacts this law to encourage effective intervention by the criminal justice system to hold illegal drug dealers accountable for criminal conduct that results in death.

The older version of the law stated that a person is guilty of death by distribution if all of the following requirements are met:

The person unlawfully sold at least one controlled substance such as an opioid cocaine or methamphetamine
The substance sold cause the death of the user
The person who sold the drug did not act with malice

The crime was a Class C felony, which usually results in a 5-12 year prison sentence with a maximum sentence of 19 years.

The updated version of the law removes the malice requirement or proof that the drug was sold. Under the new law, perpetrators can be charged with a Class C felony if they simply distribute a drug such as methamphetamine, fentanyl or cocaine that leads to a victim’s death. If the perpetrator did act with malice, the distributor could be charged with a Class B2 felony.

On August 10th from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Breeden Amphitheater in Lexington, A Raced Against Drugs (RAD) is hoping to educate the community and to counteract fentanyl use and distribution with their event entitled A Day of Recovery. In addition, the event organizers and directors of the non profit organization, Michael and Lorrie Loomis will increase awareness of the life-saving drug naloxone, which is a synthetic drug, similar to morphine, that blocks opiate receptors in the nervous system. Naloxone is used in the case of overdose.

RAD is a passion project for the Loomis’ after their son, James Allen Loomis passed away from fentanyl poisoning on April, 22, 2021, making him “Forever 27.”

The RAD event is for everyone and will feature numerous experts offering kind advice for all that attend and live entertainment. There will also be food trucks, a 50/50 raffle and much more. For information please visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1374857129674223. To contribute to the organization to reach the directors email raceagainstdrugs2024@gmail.com.

It is time to eliminate the threat of fentanyl in our community and across NC.

Read the original article on DavidsonLocal.com.

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Woman convicted in Death by Distribution Case in Carteret County

BEAUFORT, N.C. (WNCT) — A 42-year-old woman pled guilty to death by distribution of controlled substances in the death of 30-year-old Pawnee Schmitz.

Carteret County Sheriff’s deputies found Schmitz’s phone at the scene and found conversations regarding drug purchases with multiple individuals the night before Schmitz’s death.

Search warrants for Schmitz’s phone records resulted in the arrest of three people including Melissa Mastropierro. Mastropierro, 42, of Atlantic, was sentenced to just more than five years to eight years in prison.

According to District Attorney Scott Thomas, on May 29, 2023, Carteret County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to Community Road in Davis. Schmitz’s father made the call to law enforcement, reporting that he found Schmitz lying prone and unconscious on the bathroom floor. EMS arrived to find Schmitz deceased.

Drug paraphernalia and two small bags of methamphetamine and fentanyl were discovered close to Schmitz’s body, according to the sheriff’s office. An autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was from methamphetamine and fentanyl toxicity.

Read the article on the WNCT News9 website.

Man charged with selling drugs after fatal overdose at Raleigh nightclub

Luis Baez-Roman was arrested and charged with trafficking schedule I, possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintain vehicle for the distribution of controlled substances.

Raleigh police have arrested a man after they say someone died after buying drugs from him at a Raleigh nightclub earlier this month.

Why Democrat Josh Stein’s new campaign ad for NC governor features a Trump voter

RALEIGH

A new ad promoting North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein’s response to the fentanyl crisis will start running during the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.

Stein is the Democratic nominee for governor and running against Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. In the new television and digital ad airing first on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, a mother talks about her son who died from an accidental fentanyl overdose after taking cocaine laced with fentanyl.

The ad features Debbie Dalton of Cornelius talking about her late son Hunter, who grew up on Lake Norman. Hunter Dalton, 23, graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2016, moved to Raleigh and died that same year. His family and friends started The Hunter Dalton #HDLife Foundation in his memory.

Dalton has spoken at news conferences with Stein in his role as attorney general.

In the ad, Dalton praises Stein for his work on the fentanyl crisis as attorney general and talks about Hunter as “an amazing young man and just loved life. He was my entire world. He made a bad decision that night. If our son had known about fentanyl, he would still be with us today. And it shocked us to our core, shocked our community to the core,” she said.

“Attorney General Josh Stein stood up for families like mine, worked with law enforcement, and worked across party lines to attack the fentanyl crisis. I knew from the minute that I met him that this is a man that is compassionate and concerned and committed,” Dalton said.

The Fentanyl Crisis In America

Join Jeremy Kelsay, the founder of “Every 11 Minutes,” as he appears on Dr. Phil Primetime’s Morning on Merritt Street to address the growing fentanyl crisis. Discover shocking new statistics revealing a death every 5 minutes due to this crisis. Dive into conversations about innovative harm reduction strategies to tackle opioid addiction and find sustainable solutions. Tune in for crucial insights and discussions on combating this urgent issue.

Sheriff: Infant exposed to fentanyl, 2 arrested in Rowan County

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — An infant was rushed to the hospital after being exposed to fentanyl, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office.

“[The baby] was completely blue, and I said, ‘God there’s no hope for that baby,’” said one neighbor who saw the infant as she was being loaded into an ambulance.

Deputies responded to calls regarding the incident around 2:58 p.m. Saturday, July 20, at a home along Sides Road. An 11-month-old infant was found unconscious and not breathing, and was transported to an area medical center after NARCAN was administered at the scene.

“You don’t hear a lot of stories about infants being injected with NARCAN because NARCAN is a very strong, powerful drug itself,” said Rowan County Sheriff Travis Allen. “But when it’s a life or death situation, you don’t have anything to lose.”

A state trooper happened to be in the area when the call went out.

“If a guardian angel was going down the road, it was Trooper Eagle,” Sheriff Allen continued. “His CPR efforts before EMS and fire got there most likely saved the child.”

Following an initial investigation, deputies said that the mother, Jamie Robertson, retrieved a baby bottle from the father’s vehicle. She, her daughter, and James Danielson then fell asleep until Robertson awoke to the baby gasping for air and struggling to breathe.

“The mama she was just tore up,” the neighbor who did not want to be identified continued to say. “She really loved that baby, but she was hung up on drugs.”

Both Robertson and Danielson later admitted to investigators that they had injected fentanyl while in bed with the baby before falling asleep. Unsanitary conditions, along with various items of drug paraphernalia, drug residue, and uncapped syringes were found at the home.

“They both admitted to injecting each other and then passing out with the child in the bed with them, so it’s just severe neglect on their part,” said Sheriff Allen.

Danielson and Robertson have both been charged with felony neglect child abuse-serious bodily injury, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.