Death by Distribution Archives - Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina

Detectives from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Investigative Unit have arrested a 31-year-old man following an extensive investigation into a fatal overdose that occurred in April 2024.

The incident took place on April 29, 2024, when deputies responded to a reported overdose at 6012 Laurel Knoll Drive in Pleasant Garden, N.C. Upon arrival, Guilford County Emergency Services pronounced 41-year-old Roger Lee Brown Jr. deceased.

With assistance from the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Guilford County District Attorney’s Office, detectives charged Dylan Wayne Brown with felony death by distribution. He is being held in the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro under a $100,000 secured bond. Brown’s first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, at 2 p.m.

Suspect arrested after man dies of overdose in Guilford County

Read the original article on the MyFox8 News website.

GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — A suspect has been arrested after allegedly supplying drugs to a man who overdosed, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, deputies arrested Dylan Wayne Brown, 31, on a charge of felony death by distribution in connection with the death of 41-year-old Roger Lee Brown Jr.

Brown Jr. died on April 29, 2024. Deputies had responded to the 6000 block of Laurel Knoll Drive in Pleasant Garden regarding a reported overdose. The sheriff’s office says Guilford County Emergency Services pronounced him dead en route.

Brown Jr. is being held under a $100,000 secured bond.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective J. Allen at (336) 641-2799 or Guilford County Crime Stoppers at (336) 373-1000.

31-year-old charged with death by distribution in connection with 2024 fatal overdose in Guilford County

Read the original article and watch the video on the WFMY News2 website.

Roger Lee Brown Jr. died on April 29, 2024.

PLEASANT GARDEN, N.C. — A 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with a fatal 2024 overdose, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said Dylan Wayne Brown was taken into custody Monday following what they described as an extensive investigation by the department’s Major Crimes Investigative Unit.

The case dates back to April 29, 2024, when deputies responded to an overdose call on Laurel Knoll Drive in Pleasant Garden. Guilford County EMS pronounced 41-year-old Roger Lee Brown Jr. dead while crews were on the way to the home, according to the release.

Investigators have charged Brown with felony death by distribution. He is being held in the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro under a $100,000 secured bond. His first court appearance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective J. Allen at 336-641-2799 or submit an anonymous tip through Guilford County Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000.Close Ad

Brittle pleads guilty to death by distribution

3 face drug charges following probe into suspected fentanyl death

Read the original article on the Sampson Independent website.

Three Clinton-area men are behind bars this afternoon, facing a multitude of drug charges related to an ongoing death investigation involving a 49-year-old woman believed to have died from a suspected fentanyl overdose.

Warrants were issued Tuesday for James Bradford, 38, 1200 Taylors Bridge Hwy., Clinton, Dustin Millen, 37, 1200 Taylors Bridget Hwy., Clinton, and Benjamin Rackley, 43, of 50 Quarterhorse Lane, Clinton, with Bradford being taken into custody Tuesday, Nov. 18, and Miller and Rackley jailed earlier today, Nov. 20.

Miller is facing charges of trafficking in Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl), possession methamphetamine, maintaining a dwelling for the use or sale of a controlled substance, sell or delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance, conspiracy to sell or deliver a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to Sampson County Sheriff’s reports, Bradford was charged with trafficking in a Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl), possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a dwelling for the use or sale of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Rackley, reports show, was charged with maintaining a dwelling for the use or sale of a controlled substance, sell or deliver of a Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl), conspiracy to sell or deliver a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The arrests come on the heels of a joint operation between the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, the Special Investigation Division, the Uniform Patrol Division, the Criminal Interdiction Team and the Animal Control unit.

Sampson County Sheriff’s Capt. Marcus Smith noted in a release that a series of three search warrants were issued as a result of that operation, followed by the arrest of the three individuals.

The warrants were obtained, he said, as part of an ongoing probe into the 49-year-old Clinton woman’s death on Nov. 18, one suspected to be tied to a fentanyl overdose.

Leland man pleads guilty to death by distribution

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

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – A Leland man has pleaded guilty to charges involving a fatal overdose in 2022.

42-year-old William McKinley Huckaby pleaded guilty to death by distribution and attempted trafficking in methamphetamine, according to a release from the District Attorney’s Office.

James Ray Lewis, 42, died from fentanyl toxicity on June 24, 2022. Investigators from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office discovered a syringe and other drug paraphernalia near his body, which suggested fentanyl ingestion.

Detectives later discovered text messages between the two men. In one message, Huckaby encouraged Lewis to steal vacuums from a retailer in exchange for drugs, according to authorities.

The other messages also indicate that Huckaby had previously profited from tools Lewis stole in exchange for drugs, according to the DA’s Office.

Law enforcement claimed that Huckaby had roughly 26 grams of methamphetamine and a dosage unit of fentanyl on him when he was arrested.

“William Huckaby encouraged those severely addicted to opioids to steal merchandise for him with the promise of fentanyl for payment,” District Attorney Jason W. Smith said. “Huckaby’s exploitation of the addicted represents why our lawmakers enacted the Death by Distribution law. In many instances, severe addiction disrupts the decision-making parts of the brain, and those who profit while exploiting this addiction will be sent to prison.”

Huckaby was sentenced to 76 to 104 months in prison and 2 years in the residential recovery program TROSA afterward.

Toddlers revived with Narcan after fentanyl exposure; mother & boyfriend charged

Read the article and watch the video on the WRAL TV News website.

Raleigh police arrested mother Vinus Humphreys and her boyfriend Tyrone Bannerman on felony child abuse charges after her twin 22-month-old children were exposed to fentanyl inside their apartment.

Raleigh police arrested a mother and her boyfriend for child abuse after they said her twin toddlers were exposed to fentanyl inside their apartment.

Vinus Humphreys, 25, and Tyrone Bannerman, 28, are both facing two counts of felony child abuse. Raleigh police responded after 8 p.m. Monday to a home on Lake Hills Drive to a report of an unresponsive child.

EMS was already on scene providing medical aid to a 22-month-old child when, shortly after, the child’s twin also became unresponsive.

First responders administered Narcan to both children and took them to the hospital for further treatment. Their condition is considered stable and are expected to survive.

Narcan is is a medicine that can help people who are overdosing on an opioid.

Raleigh police found drugs, drug paraphernalia and a firearm inside the home, resulting in more charges for Bannerman, including:

Trafficking opium/heroin
Manufacturer of Schedule II controlled substance
Misdemeanor possession of marijuana

The incident raised concerns for Barb Walsh, the executive director of the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina. The number of children younger than the age of 5 dying from fentanyl is on the rise. According to the North Carolina Office of the Medical Examiner, 29 children younger than 5 year old died from fentanyl between 2017 and 2022, with 72% of those deaths occurring in 2021 and 2022.

“It breaks my heart,” Walsh said. “I hate to use the word overdosing with a two-year-old because they didn’t know what they were taking.”

Walsh lost her 24-year-old daughter in 2021 to an unintentional fentanyl exposure when a toxic amount of it was in a water bottle. It’s why she’s so involved in advocating for change so other families don’t have to experience this pain.

“We’re making progress,” Walsh said. “That’s all we can hope for.”

Earlier this year, Gov. Josh Stein signed a new law creating new criminal offenses for exposing a child to a controlled substance.

Walsh said it goes much further than the laws in place now.

“They get child abuse or child neglect,” Walsh said. “The new law will be a felony even if they ingest it and are OK. That will save someone else’s life.”

Walsh said the new law is a lot more specific compared to the broader charge of child abuse. However, Humphreys and Bannerman won’t be charged under the new law. While Stein signed it into law in July, it won’t become effective until Dec. 1, which is exactly four weeks after Humphreys’ twins were exposed to fentanyl.

“People who endanger a child with a harmful substance like fentanyl should be held accountable for their actions,” Walsh said. “It will lead to lives being saved. That’s the goal. We want lives saved.”

Humphreys and Bannerman are due in court for their first appearances Wednesday afternoon in Wake County. Authorities are holding both of them without bond.

Burlington man charged with death by distribution in fatal overdose case

Read the original article on the ABC45 News website.

BURLINGTON, N.C. — The Burlington Police Department has charged Christopher Jacob Tidwell, 29, with death by distribution following a six-month investigation into a fatal overdose. The incident occurred on March 26, 2025, in the 2500 block of South Church Street in Burlington, N.C. Tidwell, a Burlington resident, was already being held on pending trafficking fentanyl charges related to the same investigation. He has not received a bond for these charges.

The Burlington Police Department emphasized its commitment to holding fentanyl traffickers accountable and pursuing justice for overdose victims.

“Fentanyl continues to be a leading cause of fatal overdoses across the nation,” the department stated, adding that it will “continue to work aggressively to identify and prosecute those who distribute this deadly substance.”