Woman dies from fentanyl in N.C., man charged

Read the original article on the 10OnYourSide WAVY website.

PASQUOTANK, N.C. (WAVY) โ€” A man in North Carolina was charged in the death of a woman after she died from fentanyl ingestion.

On July 2, 2024, around 4 p.m., deputies with the Pasquotank County Sheriffโ€™s Office and EMS responded to the 700 block of Egan Lane in Elizabeth City. Crews arrived and attempted life-saving measures on an unconscious and unresponsive woman, but were unsuccessful.

29-year-old Jessica Modlin was pronounced dead at the scene. It was determined that fentanyl was the cause of death.

On Jan. 30, 2025, investigators with the Pasquotank County Sheriffโ€™s Office arrested and charged Dontae Williams with death by distribution.

Dontae Williams is currently in the custody of Albemarle District Jail under a $1 million secure bond.

Macon County man charged with death by distribution

Read the original article on the WLOS ABC13 News website.

MACON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) โ€” A Macon County man has been charged in an overdose death of another man.

The Macon County Sheriffโ€™s Office posted on social media on Feb. 5 that Tanner Gerber was indicted for the overdose death of Daniel Stanfield and formally charged with death by distribution.

This charge is designed to hold drug dealers accountable for fatal overdoses, the sheriff’s office said in its Facebook post. It said the charge was also part of “ongoing efforts to combat the drug epidemic affecting the community.”

The sheriff’s office said in its post that District Attorney Ashley Welch played a key role in drafting the legislation that established death by distribution as a prosecutable offense.

“This law provides law enforcement with a critical tool to pursue those who distribute deadly narcotics, reinforcing the message that drug-related deaths will not go unanswered,” the sheriff’s office said.

โ€œThe tragic death of Daniel Stanfield is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of illegal drugs in our community,” Macon County Sheriff Brent Holbrooks said in the post. “This indictment sends a clear message to those who distribute lethal substances will be held accountable. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect our citizens and seek justice for victims and their families.โ€

TOWN HALL MEETING ABOUT FENTANYL

Wilson County & Adjacent NC Counties

TOWN HALL MEETING ABOUT FENTANYLย  (open to the public)
Wilson County & Adjacent NC Counties
Saturday, February 1, 2025, 2:00-4:00 pm

DateSaturday, February 1, 2025, 2:00-4:00 pm
LocationFoundation YMCA of Wilson
233 Nash Street
Wilson NC. 27893
Contacts
  • Barb Walsh, Executive Director, 919-614-3830
    barb@fentvic.org. website:  www.fentvic.org
    Fentanyl Victims Network of NC (fentvic.org), 501(c)(3) EIN 88-3921380 
  • Local Co-Host:ย ย Lisa Bennett, Mother of Mason Bennett, Forever 22. Valued member of fentvc.org. Public safety, education & justice advocate.ย ย 229-873-5648ย ย lisawbennett@me.com
Purpose
  1. SAVE LIVES! Public Safety Education Prevention Tools + Naloxone Distribution & Training
  2. Listen-Learn-Interview devastated fentanyl victim families. It could happen to anyone!
  3. Spark public safety conversations about the dangers of illicit fentanyl, particularly counterfeit pressed pills (Adderall, Xanax, Percocet),ย and access to life-saving naloxone in schools and the community
  4. Connect NC Fentanyl Victim Families to one another for support and advocacy.

Greenville woman charged in 2023 overdose death of man found in vehicle

A Greenville woman has been arrested and charged in Craven County related to the overdose death of a Rocky Run Road man in Dec. 2023.

Amy Sue Gunter, 47, was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 9 after an investigation by the Craven County Sheriff’s Office.

In late December 2023 a man was found deceased in his vehicle at a Rocky Run Road residence. The death appeared to be the result of an overdose, and the North Carolina State Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed the death was from a fentanyl overdose.

Officials say that an investigation revealed the victim had purchased narcotics from Gunter prior to his death.

Gunter has been charged with the following:

  • Felony Sell and Deliver Schedule II Controlled Substance
  • Possession with Intent to Manufacture, Sell, and Deliver Schedule II Controlled Substance

Gunter was being held at the Craven County Detention Center on a $100,000 secured bond as of Jan. 9.

Wilmington man arrested in deadly Raleigh overdose, warrant shows

Read the original article on the WNCN CBS 17 website.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) โ€” A Wilmington man was arrested Monday in connection with a deadly overdose in Raleigh earlier this month, a warrant shows.

According to the warrant issued by the Raleigh Police Department, 23-year-old Martin Lawrence Mulkins Jr. sold fentanyl and cocaine to Jeffrey Warren on Jan. 5, which led to Warrenโ€™s death.

Mulkins is charged with death by distribution/sale, a felony offense, according to the warrant.

Court records show Mulkins received a $5,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear in Wake County Court on Tuesday.

2 arrested in overdose death

Accused of dealing deadly drugs

Read the original article on the Harnett County Daily Record website (may be behind paywall).

Two Harnett County men are facing death by distribution charges in the April 2024 overdose death of a 29-year-old wife and mother of three.

Jonathan William Smith
Cody Keen Pope

The Harnett County Sheriffโ€™s Office arrested 32-year-old Cody Keen Pope, of 2717 Old Stage Road South in Erwin, and 42-year-old Jonathan William Smith, of 134 S. Railroad St., Coats, in the death of Logan Brianne Carr. Both men face charges of death by distribution through the unlawful sale or delivery of certain controlled substances, namely fentanyl and methamphetamine in this case.

Carr was a homemaker and the mother of one son and two daughters.

โ€œLogan was a beautiful bright soul with sparkling eyes, big smile, and a quick laugh,โ€ her obituary states. โ€œShe never saw the bad in people, only the hope of what they could be.โ€

Prior to her death, Carr was accepted to the community college system and was planning to pursue a degree in criminal justice with the goal of becoming a probation officer. She was battling an addiction the day she died on Sunday, April 14, 2024. She is survived by her children, husband, mother, father, brother, sister, sisterโ€™s family and a host of other family members and friends.

Logan Brianne Carr, 29, died of an overdose on April 14, 2024.

Pope and Smith were both out on bond in other cases when they were taken into custody for the deadly distribution charge on Wednesday. In Popeโ€™s other case, heโ€™s facing charges of identity theft and obtaining property through a false pretense from a reported offense in January 2024, when he was accused of transferring $2,500 out of another guyโ€™s CashApp into his account. He was initially arrested on those charges six weeks after Carrโ€™s death.

Smith was out on a $500,000 bond, awaiting a December 2025 hearing on charges of felony possession of marijuana, four counts of trafficking in meth and trafficking in opioids when he was picked up Wednesday.

In a first appearance hearing Thursday, Popeโ€™s bond was set at $750,000 secured and Smithโ€™s was set at $1 million secured.

Three people arrested in connection to a fatal overdose in New Hanover County

Read the original article and watch the video on the WECT News 6 website.

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Three people have been arrested in connection to the fatal overdose of an 83-year-old in New Hanover County.

The New Hanover County Sheriffโ€™s Office (NHCSO) says on Dec. 6, 2024, deputies found an 83-year-old woman dead inside her home on Horndale Drive in New Hanover County.

On Jan. 10, deputies arrested 30-year-old Michael Britt, 46-year-old Daniel Reaves, and 45-year-old Melissa Norris-Cribb in connection to the overdose.

Britt was charged with:

  • Death by Distribution
  • Trafficking in Opium or Heroin/Fentanyl
  • Trafficking Methamphetamines
  • Possession with the intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Fentanyl
  • Sell and Deliver Schedule I (Fentanyl)
  • Conspiracy to Sell Schedule I (Fentanyl)
  • Maintain/Sell/Deliver/Possess within 1000 feet of a school
  • Possession of a firearm by a felon

According to NHCSO, Britt received an additional 23 drug-related charges and has a $1,190,000 secured bond.

Cribb was charged with:

  • Death by Distribution
  • Possession with the intent to Manufacture, Sell, and Deliver Schedule I (Fentanyl)
  • Sell and Deliver Schedule I (Fentanyl)
  • Conspiracy to Sell Schedule I (Fentanyl)

According to NHCSO, Cribb received a $155,000 secured bond.

Reaves was charged with:

  • Death by Distribution
  • Possession with the intent to Manufacture, Sell, and Deliver Schedule I (Fentanyl)
  • Sell and Deliver Schedule 1 (Fentanyl)
  • Conspiracy to Sell Schedule I (Fentanyl)

According to NHCSO, Reaves received no bond as he waits for his first appearance in New Hanover County Superior Court.

WRDC Community Matters January 11, 2025

On Saturday January 11, 2025 WRDC Community Matters aired a special episode where Barb Walsh, Michelle Murdock, and Betsy Moore from Wake County shared their stories.

Barb Walsh, Executive Director of Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina, fights to save lives and get justice for those killed by fentanyl poisoning. Joining Barb in the fight are Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina members Michelle Murdock and Betsy Ballard Moore.

There are two episodes being aired, Part 1 is airing January 11th, Part 2 will air one week later, January 18.

Family files wrongful death suit against Brunswick County Sheriff, deputies, and parole officer

Read the original article or listen to the audio on the WHQR website.

Tina and Tom Johnson have brought a federal lawsuit against Sheriff Brian Chism and several other law enforcement officers. They’re alleging that the department is responsible for the death of their daughter Brittany Johnson. WHQR’s Nikolai Mather sat down with news director Ben Schachtman to discuss the details of this case.

Ben Schachtman: Nikolai โ€” thanks for joining us. So the plaintiffs in this lawsuit are Tina and Tom Johnson. You’ve reported on story before: remind people who they are and whatโ€™s the latest.

Nikolai Mather: Yeah, so, the Johnsons are a married couple from Supply. They lost their daughter Brittany Johnson to a meth overdose in 2022. Ever since then, they’ve been asking the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office to share the findings of its investigation into her death. Now, they’re suing several law enforcement officers, saying that they should be held responsible for her death.

BS: So who specifically are they suing?

NM: Four of the defendants are named. There’s Alexander Melvin, who is a deputy for BCSO’s drug enforcement unit; Timmie Clemmons, who is a BCSO detective; Sheriff Brian Chism, and Alice Camden Alessandra, who was Brittany Johnson’s parole officer at the time of her death. The Johnsons are also suing 5 John Does, saying that because they don’t yet know everyone involved in their daughter’s death, they’re using those names as placeholders. They’re also suing Brunswick County as a whole.

BS: Gotcha. So whatโ€™s the Johnsonsโ€™ case for this as a wrongful death?

NM: Well, to understand that, you have to understand the rocky relationship they have with BCSO.

After investigating, the sheriff’s office declared her cause of death to be accidental drug overdose, with no foul play suspected. But the Johnsons think that’s not the full story. Like, after her death, they found a Bluetooth connection in their daughter’s car labeled “BCSO Surveillance Unit 098.” The sheriff’s office told them they had no idea where it came from, but the Johnsons think it suggests their daughter was a confidential informant for the department.

They’ve asked the sheriff for answers. BCSO told them their daughter wasn’t a CI, but didn’t say whether her friends were. And in a lot of instances, the office has clammed up entirely, saying they need a court order for more info.

BS: So, to be clear, these allegations are things BCSO has disputed or declined to comment on?

NM: Right. These allegations are based on the Johnsons’ own findings, in their own private investigation. And they now say that they have reason to believe their daughter was a confidential informant for the sheriff. Brittany had previously struggled with drug addiction, and her family says putting her in that position ultimately contributed to her relapse and to her death.

BS: I see. So this is a pretty big step โ€“ a federal lawsuit is no joke. But I was curious as to whether they were pursuing any criminal charges here, in addition to these civil charges.

NM: That process is a little different. You can ask the FBI or the SBI to look into a case. But ultimately, criminal investigations are up to those guys, whereas anyone can file a civil lawsuit. You’ve been covering the courts longer than me, Ben โ€” is it typical for a civil lawsuit to be filed when there isnโ€™t a criminal investigation?

BS: It really depends on the case. When it comes to law enforcement, there might be a lot of things that arenโ€™t illegal but constitute policy violations. That could involve a review by state authorities โ€” but it wouldnโ€™t be for criminal charges. Also, itโ€™s worth noting that in North Carolina, as in many states, the standard of proof for crimes like involuntary manslaughter โ€” or negligent homicide โ€” is going to be more intense than proving liability in a civil case.

NM: For sure.

BS: So, whatโ€™s next for this case?

NM: Well, I asked BCSO some questions about this lawsuit. Glenn Emery, an attorney with the office, said they couldn’t really comment on an ongoing lawsuit.

Thereโ€™s not a trial date quite yet. The plaintiffs will have to respond, and will likely ask to dismiss the case. But if it stays in court, there will be discovery โ€” meaning the Johnsons will have to produce their evidence, and the Sheriffโ€™s Office will likely have to turn over some documents as well. If the case proceeds, thereโ€™s also a good chance some of the people they mention in the suit will be brought in for sworn depositions or asked to sign affidavits.

BS: That was WHQR’s rural reporter Nikolai Mather. Nikolai, thanks for coming by.

NM: You’re welcome.

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