Category: Capitol Area

Woman charged with killing man who overdosed on fentanyl, Wake sheriff says

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

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged a woman in connection with the overdose death of a man earlier this year.

A woman has been charged in connection with the fentanyl overdose death of a man she allegedly sold drugs to earlier this year, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office said.

On March 29, deputies responded to a home on Panther Lake Road in the southern part of Wake County for a death investigation and found 39-year-old Matthew Godbold unresponsive, according to a news release. The initial investigation pointed to a possible overdose.

Evidence submitted to the Wake County Bureau of Forensic Services tested positive for fentanyl, the release stated.

Deputies determined Lauren Tasha Olsen, 37, had sold drugs to Godbold that led to his death. She was charged Monday with aggravated death by distribution and with felony sell/deliver a schedule II controlled substance, according to the release.

In 2017, Olsen was convicted of attempted drug trafficking of a schedule I controlled substance, court records show. She was sentenced to between 2 years and 1 month and 3 years and 6 months in jail, with her parole ending in May 2020.

Fatal drug overdoses down in North Carolina

Godbold’s death comes as the number of fentanyl and other overdose deaths in North Carolina has declined.

There were 259 suspected overdose deaths in June 2025 compared to 275 in June 2024, according to the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. There was an 8% decrease in such deaths year to date (1,541) compared to January to August 2024 (1,666).

There were 175 fentanyl-positive deaths in April 2025 compared to 204 in April 2024. There was a 28% decrease in such deaths year to date (588) compared to the same time period in 2024 (822), the medical examiner’s office reported.

Woman charged with selling fentanyl that led to fatal overdose, Wake County deputies say

Read the original article on the WRAL TV5 website.

A woman was arrested Monday and charged with the fatal overdose of a man earlier this year.

A woman was arrested Monday and charged with the fatal overdose of a man earlier this year. 

On March 29, the Wake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a death investigation at a home off Panther Lake Road. They found 39-year-old Matthew Godbold unresponsive inside the home.

Their initial investigation indicated that the cause of death was a possible overdose. 

Officials collected and sent evidence to the Wake County Bureau of Forensic Services for testing, which determined that substances found at the scene tested positive for fentanyl. 

Deputies determined that 37-year-old Lauren Olsen sold drugs to Godbold that ultimately led to his death. The WCSO did not provide details as to how they connected Olsen to him. 

On Monday evening, deputies arrested Olsen and charged her with aggravated death by distribution and felony sell/deliver a Schedule II controlled substance. She is scheduled to appear in court for the first time for this offense Tuesday afternoon. 

According to court records, Olsen has a previous arrest history related to possessing drugs and drug paraphernalia from other counties. 

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid. When manufactured by pharmaceutical companies and approved by the FDA, it can be safely used to treat patients in severe pain. The synthetic fentanyl leading to many overdose deaths is made in unregulated labs, pushed by drug cartels, and put in various drugs as a cheap way to produce extremely strong substances.

The fentanyl crisis continues to devastate families across North Carolina, even as overdose deaths decline. Back in late May, Gov. Josh Stein called for a special unit to investigate fentanyl trafficking across the state. 

Garner woman charged with selling deadly purple fentanyl dose given $1.5 million bond

Read the original article and watch the video on the CBS17.com website.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Wake County prosecutors allege a Garner woman sold a fatal dose of purple fentanyl — which began appearing on local streets earlier this year — in March, according to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.

Prosecutors said 39-year-old Matthew Godbold’s father called 911 on March 29 after finding his son unresponsive at home.

“They found the victim, Matthew Godbold, deceased in the living room. He was kneeling on the floor. His upper body was slumped over the couch. He had blue lips and was cold to the touch. Additionally, there was drug paraphernalia nearby the deceased,” Wake County prosecutors said Tuesday during a court hearing.

Investigators determined Godbold died from overdosing on purple fentanyl. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the NC Department of Health and Human Services. Just two milligrams, the size of a few grains of salt, can be fatal.

Drug dealers dye fentanyl purple and other colors as a way to distinguish themselves, according to Raleigh police and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office. It’s often laced with other drugs, like tranquilizers, making it even more lethal.

“It’s just a coloring agent that’s added to regular fentanyl for marketing purposes, for drug dealers to make their product look better. However, the most common thing that we’re seeing are the small blue fentanyl pills,” said Lt. David Bradford with Wake County Sheriff’s Office. 

Prosecutors believe Godbold’s fatal dose came from Lauren Olsen, who has a long history of drug charges. She appeared in court Tuesday to face charges of aggravated death by distribution and selling a Schedule II controlled substance.

“The death by distribution charge here is an aggravated charge that is due to the defendant’s previous conviction for attempted trafficking of opioids,” prosecutors said.

Court records show Olsen was convicted of that attempted trafficking charge in 2017. Prosecutors also said Olsen has a history of failing to appear for court dates. 

NC man sentenced for fentanyl sale linked to Cary hotel overdose death

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

A man from Henderson was sentenced to 16 years in prison for selling fentanyl to a person who later died of an overdose in Cary. imaginima Getty Images

A North Carolina man whose distribution of fentanyl contributed to a fatal overdose in a Cary hotel has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison, the Department of Justice announced Friday.

Keymon Leahke Cofield, 25, of Vance County pleaded guilty in April to distributing fentanyl and heroin, along with possession with intent to distribute. The investigation that led to his arrest began on June 13, 2020, when Cary police responding to a suspected overdose at a local hotel found a 35-year-old man dead with 50 bindles of suspected fentanyl and heroin, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina said.

Officials traced the fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, to Cofield, who was 20 at the time. They determined he had traveled south from the small city of Henderson to Cary to sell drugs. An undercover investigation that summer culminated in Cofield’s arrest. Authorities seized 651 bindles of suspected fentanyl and heroin, and a search of Cofield’s phone showed photos of firearms and large amounts of cash.

The Department of Justice listed Cofield’s nicknames as “Keymoney” and “Boi Fat.”

Cary and North Carolina overall have seen increases in opioid incidents this century. Statewide, opioid overdose fatalities rose 800% between 1999 and 2016 — from around 100 deaths to 1,300. Cary reported 11 on-the-scene opioid overdose deaths in 2017 and the same number in 2020, the year of Cofield’s arrest. In 2018, Cary launched an Opioid Wastewater Project pilot program that sought to measure opioid consumption not by overdoses but by the concentration of opioids in sewage samples. Ten locations around the town of 170,000 were selected.

Town officials sought a new gauge for opioid use after observing deliveries of Narcan — a medication that can reverse the impacts of opioid overdoses — exceeded actual reports of overdoses.

In 2022, Cary reported 118 opioid-related incidents, a higher total than in any of the previous five years. That year, Cary received $928,360 from the North Carolina Department of Justice as part of national settlement agreements with opioid companies.

Raleigh Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to More Than 23 Years in Prison

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wake County man was sentenced today to more than 23 years (283 months) in prison on drug charges.  Myquan Taquil Houston, aka “Dirty,” pled guilty on January 13, 2025, to the offenses of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Houston conspired with another person to sell fentanyl to a confidential informant on five occasions in Raleigh.  Law enforcement searched Houston’s house in Knightdale, North Carolina on July 26, 2023. The search revealed 502.29 grams of cocaine, 41.54 grams of cocaine base (crack), 134.46 grams of fentanyl and ANPP, 26.6 grams of Oxycodone, digital scales, a loaded .45 caliber handgun, two cellphones, and $7,970 in U.S. currency.  The investigation determined that Houston sold approximately $1,400 of fentanyl every other week for at least a year prior to his arrest, making him responsible for 1,590.46 grams of fentanyl and 635.1 grams of cocaine.

Houston has prior convictions for felony breaking and entering and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and a quantity of cocaine base (crack), distribution of a quantity of cocaine, and aiding and abetting. Houston was on federal supervised release in the Eastern District of North Carolina at the time of these offenses.

Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aria Q. Merle prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-00238. 

Download PRess Release PDF

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.”

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

Woman went to hotel to reset her life, family says. NC man now charged in her death.

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

Ashley Lane (far right) poses for a photo with her son Ashton (from left), eldest daughter Alyssa and youngest daughter Cali.

Ashley Lane was happy being a stylist, but she also was a friend and a therapist to people who were struggling, even when her own mental health and substance abuse got the better of her, her family said.

On Monday, a Durham man was accused of selling the fentanyl that caused Lane, 39, to overdose Dec. 28 at The Graduate Hotel in downtown Chapel Hill. She died on Dec. 31 at UNC Hospitals.

Aaron Donald Brooks, 40, is charged with felony death by distribution sale, possession with intent to sell and deliver a controlled substance, sale or delivery of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance, court records show.

He is being held in the Orange County jail under $300,000 secured bail, records show.

Continue reading “Woman went to hotel to reset her life, family says. NC man now charged in her death.”

Durham Tech instructor indicted on death by distribution charge, records show

Read the original article on the CBS17 News website.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — A philosophy instructor at Durham Technical Community College was arrested Monday in connection with a deadly overdose in Chapel Hill last December, court records show.

Aaron Donald Brooks, 40, of Durham was indicted in Orange County Court on a death by distribution through unlawful sale of a controlled substance. He is also charged with felony possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, selling/delivering a Schedule I controlled substance, and possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver a Schedule I controlled substance, according to court records.

Court records show Brooks is accused of selling fentanyl to a woman on Dec. 28, leading to her death. The Chapel Hill Police Department filed the warrant for his arrest.

According to court records, Brooks was not given bond. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in Orange County Court on Monday.

Brooks was previously arrested on drug charges in Durham County on Dec. 11. The Durham County Sheriff’s Office filed the warrants for his arrest. He posted a $25,000 secured bond the following day prior to his arrest on drug charges in Orange County, according to court records.

In connection with a Durham County incident on Nov. 21, according to court records, Brooks is charged with delivering methamphetamine (two counts), selling methamphetamine (two counts), possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver methamphetamine, trafficking in methamphetamine, and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Court records show Brooks is charged with manufacturing/selling/delivering a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a park and maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance, in connection with a Durham County incident on Dec. 11.

Brooks’ next appearance in Durham County Court on these charges is scheduled for March 10, according to court records.

According to the Duke University website, Brooks is an instructor of philosophy at Durham Tech.

Brooks’ LinkedIn says he joined Durham Tech in August 2019 and has taught at the school for over five years. Prior to Durham Tech, he was a tutor at the Duke University Athletic Department in 2013 and a chaplain at the Duke University Health System from 2013 to 2014. He holds a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School.

According to Durham Tech, Brooks has been on administrative leave since his arrest in December. He has not been allowed on campus or to contact employees or students.

School officials said they are exploring their next steps with the advice of legal counsel.

The Durham County Sheriff’s Office has indicated none of Brooks’ charges are related to Durham Tech, according to the school.

Translate »