Month: February 2026

WRAL Investigates: Opioid overdoses, fentanyl deaths decrease for second straight year in Triangle

An analysis of state health data shows that opioid overdose hospitalizations have decreased by more than 20% in the last year, marking two consecutive years of declining emergency department visits in North Carolina.

An analysis of state health data shows that opioid overdose hospitalizations have decreased by more than 20% in the last year, marking two consecutive years of declining emergency department visits in North Carolina. 

“I’m excited to see the decreases continue,” says Tyler Yates, State Opioid Coordinator with DHHS’ Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services. “Not long after the action plan was put into play in 2017, we saw some decreases right away and then COVID happened. Overdose deaths skyrocketed.”

Read the complete of the article on the WRAL News website.

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Catawba County sheriffโ€™s office charges man in fatal fentanyl case

Read the original article on the WSOC TV News website.

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. โ€” A 26-year-old man was indicted and arrested in connection with the fentanyl toxicity death of Jacob Lee Kirk, the Catawba County sheriff announced Monday. Juan Sebastian Solarte faces charges of death by distribution and the sale of a Schedule II controlled substance.

Kirk was found dead at his home in February 2025. An autopsy conducted by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be fentanyl toxicity.

The Catawba County Grand Jury returned the indictment against Solarte on Jan. 20, the sheriff said. The formal charges include death by distribution and the sale of a Schedule II controlled substance.

This legal action follows an investigation that began when Kirkโ€™s body was discovered nearly one year ago.

Following the indictment, law enforcement officers located Solarte in Florida.

The Palm Beach County Sheriffโ€™s Office took him into custody on Feb. 3 in Boca Raton. Solarte is 26 years old.

Sheriff Don Brown commented on the departmentโ€™s focus on the investigation and offered support to the Kirk family.

โ€œI want the family of Jacob Kirk to know that we remain committed to accountability and seeing this case through. I extend my sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Kirk,โ€ Brown said.

Solarte is currently being held in Florida. He is awaiting extradition back to North Carolina to face the charges.

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More drugs, fewer weapons found in schools, crime data shows

More than 99% of students were not involved in a reportable crime on campus, said Michael Maher, chief accountability officer for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Most schools reported only zero to five criminal offenses at their school last year, he said.

Criminal offenses went down again in North Carolina schools during the 2024-25 school year, with another significant drop in offenses for weapon possession, new data shows.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released the latest public school crime statistics during the State Board of Education meeting on Wednesday.

The drop in criminal offenses reported reflects ongoing trends, but so does a continued rise in offenses for drug possession.

Total offenses dropped from 12,212 the year before to 11,470 offenses last year, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, which released the data Wednesday afternoon.

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