Month: July 2026

Two charged after law enforcement finds fentanyl in search of vehicle

Read the original article on the WNCT9 On Your Side website.

Donta Antwan Valentine

WILLIAMSTON, N.C. (WNCT) — Two people were charged after a traffic stop near the intersection of Technology Blvd. and U.S. Highway 64 Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

Law enforcement officers said they smelled an odor of marijuana and saw evidence in plain view of controlled substances.

Deputies with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office responded and searched the vehicle. The search found 37 grams of fentanyl, digital scales and about $700.

Tineshia Latrice Brown

Donta Antwan Valentine, 41, of Windsor, was charged with:

  • Trafficking opium by transportation
  • Trafficking opium by possession
  • Possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a controlled substance
  • Substances within 1,000 feet of a school
  • Possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a schedule II controlled substance
  • Possession of drug paraphernalia

Valentine was jailed without bond for 48 hours.

Tineshia Latrice Brown, 34, of Lewiston-Woodville, was charged with:

  • Trafficking opium by transportation
  • Trafficking opium by possession
  • Possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school
  • Possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a schedule II controlled substance
  • Possession of drug paraphernalia

Brown was also jailed without bond for 48 hours.

Alleged Williamston drug dealer arrested during fatal overdose investigation

Read the original article on the WNCT9 On Your Side website.

MARTIN COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT) — Law enforcement officers with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office arrested a suspect connected to a fatal overdose from May.

On May 23, deputies arrived at Tammy Lane in Williamston to assist with reports of an overdose. Deputies found the individual deceased, prompting an investigation.

Investigators determined that Donta Antwan Valentine was involved in delivering the drugs to the victim before their death.

On July 22, law enforcement arrested Valentine at a Williamston motel. Detectives searched his room and reported that they found more than 100 grams of methamphetamine along with digital scales.

A Martin County magistrate revealed that Valentine was already on pre-trial release at the time of his arrest. Valentine was taken to the Catawba County Detention Facility, where he is being held without bond on one case and under a $2 million secured bond on a second.

“The distribution of illegal narcotics continues to devastate families and communities across our state. Those who choose to profit from selling these deadly substances must understand that they will be held accountable for their actions. I commend Lieutenant Roebuck, Agent Raynor, Sergeant Harrell, Deputy Murphy, and everyone involved in this investigation for their professionalism, dedication, and tireless efforts,” said Sheriff Drew Robinson. “The Martin County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to aggressively investigating overdose deaths, holding drug dealers accountable, and doing everything within our power to protect the citizens of Martin County.”

Man charged in fatal overdose in Martin County

Read the original article on the WCTI News12 website.

Williamston, NC — A Martin County man is facing charges in connection with a fatal overdose investigation after deputies say he allegedly supplied the drugs that led to a person’s death.

The investigation began on May 23, 2026, when deputies with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office responded to Tammy Lane in the Williamston area for a reported overdose.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies found a person dead at the scene. Investigators said evidence collected during the initial investigation indicated the death was caused by a drug overdose.

Lieutenant Roebuck led the investigation, which included reviewing physical and digital evidence and executing multiple search warrants. Investigators ultimately identified Donta Antwan Valentine, 43, as the person who allegedly delivered the controlled substance that resulted in the victim’s death.

On July 22, Narcotics Agent Brandon Raynor and Sergeant Justin Harrell located Valentine at a motel in Williamston and arrested him without incident.

Deputies then executed a search warrant at the motel room, where they said they seized more than 100 grams of methamphetamine and digital scales commonly associated with drug distribution.

Authorities said Valentine was already on pre-trial release at the time of his arrest. A Martin County magistrate ordered him held without bond on one case. He is also being held under a $2 million secured bond on a separate case.

Valentine is currently being held at the Catawba County Detention Facility.

In a statement, Sheriff Drew Robinson said the sheriff’s office remains committed to aggressively investigating overdose deaths and holding drug dealers accountable.

Alleged drug dealer charged in Waxhaw man’s fentanyl death

Read the original article on the Queen City News website.

WAXHAW, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Charlotte man is charged with death by distribution after a man’s death last March, Waxhaw Police say.

Taylor Demetrius Yates

On March 2, 2026, officers were called to a home on Cassidy Drive after 33-year-old Andrew Rivera fatally overdosed on fentanyl.

A months-long investigation resulted in the arrest of 34-year-old Taylor Demetrius Yates on July 20 in east Charlotte. He is charged with felony death by distribution and trafficking in fentanyl in connection with Rivera’s death.

“This case is a reminder that fentanyl continues to devastate families in many communities, including our own,” said Waxhaw Police Chief Dexter Wilson. “The Waxhaw Police Department remains committed to aggressively investigating drug-related crimes, holding offenders accountable, and working with our partners to keep our community safe.”

Yates is being held without bond at the Union County Jail. He was arrested by Waxhaw Police narcotics detectives and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Crime Reduction Team.

Raleigh man gave his friend a fentanyl-laced pill. Now, he’ll serve prison time

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

Strother Murray-Ndinga talks about her stepson Serguei “Dolys” Ndinga Momo, who died from a drug overdose, as Jerimiah Hargrove (seated, at left), the man charged with selling him the drugs, listens in an Orange County court.

What started as a night of partying in 2023 ended with a prison sentence Tuesday for the man accused of selling the pills that killed his friend in a Carrboro home.

Jerimiah Hargrove, 22, of Raleigh, was scheduled to have his death by distribution case heard by an Orange County jury this week, but he chose Tuesday to accept an Alford plea instead.

That means Hargrove did not legally admit responsibility for the June 27, 2023, death of 21-year-old Serguei “Dolys” Ndinga Momo, but that he thought a jury would have found him guilty.

Superior Court Judge Stephanie Reese sentenced Hargrove to four to six years in prison, and also ordered him to get psychological and substance abuse treatment. He will also get educational and vocational training and be eligible for work release.

A second charge of selling a Schedule II controlled substance was dismissed Monday, court records show.

Reese warned Hargrove to take advantage of the programs available to him and to avoid alcohol and other substances in the future. Defense attorney Patrick Morgan told the court that Hargrove attended Johnston County Community College and worked several jobs before successfully completing most of a 12-month vocational training program in 2024.

Hargrove was kicked out of the Hope Center program after a relapse, but could return in the future, he said.

What led to Ndinga Momo’s death

Hargrove, Ndinga Momo, Hargrove’s girlfriend and another man were drinking together at the victim’s house in Carrboro after midnight on June 27 when Hargrove got out some “Perc 30s” — a pressed pill that included the prescription painkiller Percocet and fentanyl, Orange County Assistant District Attorney Anna Orr said.

Continue reading “Raleigh man gave his friend a fentanyl-laced pill. Now, he’ll serve prison time”

Drug dealer sentenced in Johnston County teen’s overdose death

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

A Selma man will spend at least eight years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to selling a teenager the drugs that killed her.

Isaiah Lathomas DaPaul Watson, 27, was charged with death by distribution in the August 2025 death of Alesha Meshaw, 19, of Four Oaks, The News & Observer previously reported.

Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Thomas H. Lock sentenced Watson to a minimum of eight years and maximum of 10 years and eight months in prison, the Johnston County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.

Meshaw was found dead at a friend’s home after overdosing on counterfeit oxycodone pills, The N&O reported in October. The state crime lab found the pills actually contained fentanyl; carfentanil, a synthetic opioid “much more potent than fentanyl”; and ANPP, “a direct precursor to fentanyl and acetylfentanyl,” according to search warrants in the case.

Meshaw’s autopsy found she died from a fentanyl and carfentanil overdose. Her death was ruled an accident.

Meshaw’s boyfriend told police she’d struggled with substance use, and investigators found texts on her phone indicating she’d met with Watson the day before her death to buy $50 of “blues,” according to search warrants.

Watson was arrested in Roanoke, Virginia, last September after hiding out at his girlfriend’s house, search warrants show. He’d previously served time in prison in a 2020 home invasion in Johnston County and also had pending charges there at the time of Meshaw’s death, court records indicate.

Johnston County District Attorney Jason Waller said in the release he was grateful for law enforcement’s work to seek justice for Meshaw.

“Death by distribution cases present unique challenges for prosecution,” Waller said in the email. “The most important witness to the drug transaction is no longer with us, and other witnesses involved in this type of crime are often reluctant to cooperate.”

Meshaw, also known as “Meme” by loved ones, was described by family members in a GoFundMe as a “bright soul [who] never let anything get her down.”

“Our heart goes out to Aleisha’s [sic] family, and I hope this outcome will help them find solace,” said Assistant District Attorney Keith Gordon, who prosecuted the case, in the release. “Aleisha [sic] was a very young woman, loved by many, whose life was lost to a senseless act of greed.”

North Carolina man convicted in fentanyl overdose death of 29-year-old woman

PASQUOTANK, N.C. (WAVY) — A judge has sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to causing the overdose death of a 29-year-old woman.

Dontae Williams was originally charged with death by distribution. Williams appeared before the Pasquotank County Superior Court and pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter. Superior Court Judge Eula Reid Sentenced Williams to an active term of imprisonment of 77 to 105 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

On July 2, 2024, deputies and EMS responded to the 700 block of Egan Lane in Elizabeth City, where they found and attempted life-saving measures on 29-year-old Jessica Modlin. Modlin was later pronounced dead on the scene. Officials determined fentanyl was the cause of death.

Dontae Williams was arrested and charged on January 20, 2025.

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