April 2025 - Page 3 of 3 - Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina

Fentanyl Victims Network of NC to present awards to Sheriff Buck, DA Thomas and team for top efforts to stop fentanyl traffickers

Read the original article on the Carolina Coast Online website.

BEAUFORT — The Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina, a nonprofit based in Wake County, plans to present awards to Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck, District Attorney Scott Thomas and his team for top efforts in the state to stop fentanyl traffickers.

A ceremony will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 12 at the Beaufort Train Depot to recognize Buck, Thomas, Assistant District Attorney David Spence and District Attorney Legal Assistant Michelle Gillikin.

Fentanyl victims and their families will also be recognized and the event is open to the public.

In addition, there will be guest speakers, including Brooke Barnhill with the Carteret County Department of Health and Human Services Post Overdose Response Team (PORT).

Fentanyl Victims Network Executive Director Barbara Walsh, whose daughter died after unintentionally ingesting fentanyl, said, “The Sheriff is receiving an award for having the most in NC of investigations and arrests of fentanyl traffickers who caused a death. This is not because Carteret has the highest rate of fentanyl fatalities in the state. It is because Sheriff Buck cares and allocates resources to find out what caused those deaths. He treats victims and their families with dignity and respect. Some sheriffs have zero arrests.”

She added that Thomas, Spence and Gillikin are receiving awards for the most prosecutions in NC of fentanyl traffickers who cause death, the Death by Distribution charge.

“Again, this is not because Carteret has the highest number of traffickers, it is because the DA believes in keeping the community safe,” she said.

During the ceremony, Walsh said each reward recipient will speak. The event will also feature naloxone training and distribution of free naloxone. Public safety education and prevention materials will be provided.

According to their website, The Fentanyl Victims Network is a nonpartisan, action-oriented statewide grassroots nonprofit that promotes public safety, education, justice, advocacy and support of NC fentanyl victim families in all 100 North Carolina counties. The Beaufort event will be the 28th public safety and education event hosted by the organization in North Carolina.

Other purposes of the group are to spark safety conversations about the dangers of illicit fentanyl, particularly counterfeit pressed pills, and to help provide access to life-saving naloxone in schools and communities. It’s also to connect NC Fentanyl Victim families for support and advocacy.

According to the organization, 18,594 NC residents were killed by fentanyl from 2013-23, and seven out of 10 street-pressed, copy-cat pills contain lethal fentanyl additives. The organization also provided a chart showing that from 2013-23 there were 168 fentanyl fatalities in Carteret County, with 29 Death by Distribution arrests.

In a joint statement about receiving the awards, Buck and Thomas said, “We have been working together as a team on all criminal matters since 2006 including the prescription drug issue which fueled the current heroin and fentanyl crisis we have faced in recent years. We have worked together to strictly prosecute drug offenders and we have supported treatment and recovery efforts to help people achieve recovery from their addictions and go on to live productive and healthy lives,” they stated

“We commend the tremendous work that has been done in the area of investigating overdose deaths and prosecuting these cases by Sheriff’s Office Detectives, other local police departments and the District Attorney’s Office prosecutors and legal staff. We are very proud of all of the work that has been done by these dedicated public servants investigating, prosecuting and holding accountable the offenders who have caused the deaths of citizens in our area. We hope our efforts have provided some sense of justice and closure to the families of these overdose victims.”

In addition, Buck and Thomas stated, “Everything we do should send a message to the public that we are working to address serious issues in our community and to let the criminal offenders know that we will not tolerate this type of activity and we seek to arrest, jail and prosecute them.”

For more information about the organization, go to Fentvic.org.

Contact Cheryl Burke at 252-726-7081, ext. 255; email Cheryl@thenewstimes.com; or follow on Twitter @cherylccnt.

Woman found guilty of felony death charge following overdose investigation

Read the original article and watch the video on the Fox Carolina News website.

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (FOX Carolina) – The District Attorney’s Office for Prosecutorial District 42 reports that a woman was found guilty after a victim died from ingesting Fentanyl in 2023.

Heather Marie Maybin, 38, from Hendersonville, was found guilty of death by distribution.

The court trial record said that Maybin was a drug dealer who conducted her controlled substances activities over Facebook Messenger.

A transaction she arranged in the Walmart parking lot located off Highland Square Drive on Feb. 6, 2023, involved a quantity of fentanyl sold for $40, the court trial record said.

The investigation revealed the victim and a friend ingested the drug that evening through a hypodermic needle. The victim lost consciousness, stopped breathing and was later declared to have died from Fentanyl toxicity

PREVIOUS: Woman facing felony death charges following overdose investigation

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office used a search warrant to obtain communications received through Facebook Messenger, court records said.

Maybin was sentenced to a minimum term of 66 months and a maximum term of 92 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.

District Attorney Andrew Murray said “My office, along with our dedicated and professional partners, is committed to ridding our community of fentanyl by holding drug dealers accountable for these untimely and extremely tragic deaths.”

After baby’s fentanyl death, Asheville mother found guilty of involuntary manslaughter

Read the original article on the Asheville Citizen Times website.

A Buncombe County jury found Samantha Lynn Higgins, 32, of Asheville, guilty of involuntary manslaughter after her child’s fentanyl-related death.
Data from a state taskforce shows child deaths by accidental poisoning — mainly caused by fentanyl — has increased statewide in the past few years and “remained high” in 2023.

ASHEVILLE – After a day of deliberation over a partially absent defendant, a Buncombe County jury found an Asheville mother guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her child’s fentanyl-related death — an issue a state taskforce said “remained high” in 2023.

Samantha Lynn Higgins, 32, of Asheville, was on trial in Buncombe County Superior Court after her 8-month-old daughter ingested or had contact with fentanyl while living in “an environment where the juvenile had access to and contact with” the drug, police said in an arrest warrant.

Asheville Police Department detectives began investigating on Sept. 8, 2022, when the child was taken to Mission Hospital. Three days later, the infant was pronounced dead.

The child’s autopsy says her cause of death was complications of blunt force injuries to the head, but fentanyl toxicity was “another significant contributing factor.” Blood sample tests during her hospitalization showed a “potentially lethal level of fentanyl,” and evidence of early organ failure was found during the autopsy, according to a copy obtained by the Citizen Times.

The child’s parents found her unresponsive early in the morning, according to the autopsy, which cites the Buncombe County Medical Examiner and APD. They took her to Mission Hospital’s Emergency Department, where resuscitation was successful, the autopsy said.

“It was reported to law enforcement that one of the parents asked hospital staff to use Narcan on the child during resuscitation, so a urine screen was performed,” which tested positive for fentanyl, the report said.

During APD’s investigation, drug paraphernalia was found “littered throughout” the apartment where the child lived, according to a news release from the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office. The autopsy said the source of the child’s head injury was “unclear” at the time the report was written. Per department policy on case details, APD spokesperson Rick Rice declined to comment on the circumstances that may have led to the infant’s death.

Stein wants ‘fentanyl control unit’ of prosecutors and drug agents. How it would work.

Read the original article on the Raleigh News & Observer website.

Welcome to the Sunday edition of our Under the Dome newsletter, which focuses on the governor. I’m Avi Bajpai, filling in for Dawn Vaughan this week.

Gov. Josh Stein announces his 2025-27 state budget proposal during a press conference Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at the Albemarle Building in Raleigh. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com

The budget proposal Gov. Josh Stein unveiled last month renews his request, now for the third year in a row, for a special unit of state prosecutors and law enforcement agents focused on combating fentanyl trafficking.

Stein first called on the General Assembly to create a fentanyl control unit within the N.C. Department of Justice in February 2023. As head of the department in his role as attorney general at the time, Stein said there was a need for additional prosecutors dedicated to helping local district attorneys go after large-scale trafficking, wiretap, and overdose cases.

His first recommended budget as governor this year includes a funding request for a fentanyl control unit with attorney positions at the DOJ, and law enforcement positions at the State Bureau of Investigation.

Asked about the proposal this week, Stein told reporters that even though initial data appeared to show a downturn in overdose deaths in North Carolina last year, it remains a priority for the state to “dedicate resources to getting this poison out of our communities to the fullest extent possible.”

Woman pleads guilty to death by distribution charge

Read the original article on the Watauga Democrat website.

BOONE — A woman pled guilty to death by distribution, marking the first conviction of its kind in Watauga County.

According to court documents, Angelina G. Miller, 30, was sentenced to 58-82 months in prison after she plead guilty to the charge that stemmed from a June 2023 arrest. She has already served 661 days.

Watauga County Sheriff’s Office Det. William Watson, who was the lead investigator on the case, is pleased with the outcome.

“Overdose deaths have too often been overlooked, but this conviction reinforces the importance of thorough investigations and justice for victims and their families,” said Det. Watson. “I extend my deepest condolences to the Greenlee family and friends mourning the tragic loss of Karma at just 22 years old. This investigation was conducted in her honor, ensuring her memory contributes to justice and awareness.”

Watson also expressed gratitude to the Watauga County District Attorney’s Office for its dedication to prosecuting this case, as well as the Boone Police Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Carter County Sheriff’s Office and Hickory Police Department for their “invaluable” support. He said the case was “only possible through the collective efforts of all involved.”

According to previous reporting by the Watauga Democrat, Miller sold Fentanyl to Karma L. Greenlee who later died due to an overdose on March 14, 2023.

WCSO detectives began an investigation into the suspected overdose with assistance from the Boone Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Alexander County Sheriff’s Office and the Hickory Police Department. Two suspects were identified for allegedly selling and distributing the Fentanyl that killed Greenlee: William M. Oxentine, of Johnson County, Tennessee, and Angelina G. Miller, of Catawba County. Oxentine will be served with the Death by Distribution charge once he has served his current time on the unrelated charges in Tennessee.

Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina Executive Director Barb Walsh said there were 35 fentanyl related fatalities between 2013-2023. Her daughter, Sophia Walsh, died in 2021 due to fentanyl.

“Undisclosed fentanyl additives are found in fake/counterfeit pills such as Adderall, Xanax, Oxycontin and Percocet,” Walsh said. “Victims obtain fake pills off the internet like SnapChat, from local dealers or from friends. They do not know they are fake and deadly. A Pharmacy is the only safe supplier of prescription medication. Deadly undisclosed fentanyl additives may also occur in recreational drugs such as cocaine, meth and heroin. This is a public safety issue across the state.”

To learn more about fentanyl deaths in North Carolina and prevention tools, visit fentanylvictimsnetworknc.org.

“There is an antidote for opioid toxicity,” Walsh said. “It is called naloxone, also known by brand names such as Narcan, Kloxxado, and Revive. Naloxone nasal spray can be obtained without prescription at a pharmacy, your local health department and from local Harm Reduction organizations.”

Watauga Sheriff Len Hagaman commended the investigative team’s hard work and emphasized the broader significance of this case.

“We hope that no other family has to endure the heartbreak of losing a loved one to an overdose. This conviction serves as a critical step in promoting accountability and preventing future tragedies in our community and beyond,” said Sheriff Hagaman.

Download Article PDF

Man indicted for death by distribution, murder in 2024 deaths of Davidson County adult, infant

Read the original article on the WFMY News2 website.

Authorities arrested Donta Octovius Williams after linking him to the drug-related death of an adult and the death of a baby by dehydration.

DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. — A man has been arrested after a grand jury indicted him on charges of death by distribution and second-degree murder related to the deaths of an infant and an adult who were found dead inside a home in Davidson County in June 2024, the sheriff’s office says.

Deputies said the adult victim’s cause of death was suspected to be a drug overdose.

During the investigation, deputies identified Donta Octovius Williams from High Point as the person who gave the drugs to the adult victim while the baby was there.

Once the toxicology and autopsy results were received, the cause of death for the adult was shown to be due to Fentanyl Toxicity. The cause of death for the baby was due to dehydration.

On March 24, a State Grand Jury returned true bills of indictment for Williams on the charges of death by distribution and second-degree murder,

On March 27, members of the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office and High Point Police Department arrested Williams on the criminal indictments without incident. He was taken to the Davidson County Jail with the pre-condition of release set to a $750,000 secured bond.