Category: Media Coverage

Wilmington man charged for allegedly causing fatal overdose in Pender County

Read the original article and watch the video on the WECT News6 website.

PENDER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – A Wilmington man has been arrested in connection to a death by distribution investigation in Pender County.

The Pender County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) says Anthony Quinn Marshall has been charged for allegedly causing the death of Jessica Kelly of Currie, NC.

Deputies and Pender Emergency Services responded to Blueberry Road where they found Kelly unconscious. Responders attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead.

“Through investigation, detectives concluded that the cause of death was due to a fatal overdose,” a PCSO representative wrote in a press release.

Marshall was arrested on Feb. 24 and placed in the Pender County Jail under a $250,000 secured bond.

According to his arrest warrant, he was charged with death by distribution, sell/deliver cocaine, sell Sch II controlled substances, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver (PWIMSD) cocaine, PWIMSD Sch II controlled substances, manufacture Sch II controlled substances, manufacture cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Families who lost loved ones to opioid crisis welcome Stein’s call for Fentanyl Control Unit

Read the original article and watch the video on the ABC11 News website.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — There’s a renewed push to get deadly drugs off of North Carolina’s streets. At last night’s State of the State address, Governor Josh Stein once again called for the creation of a Fentanyl Control Unit.

The task force would be comprised of law enforcement officers and prosecutors to find the illegal drug and go after those distributing it.

“Too many North Carolinians are like Debbie – parents, siblings, spouses, children, and friends who will never get their loved one back,” Stein remarked in his speech.

Governor Stein invited Debbie Dalton as one of his guests of honor to Wednesday’s address. The Charlotte mom lost her son, Hunter, to fentanyl in 2016.

Debbie Dalton, Husband, Son Hunter (middle)

On Thursday, ABC11 spoke with Debbie, who described the moment she received a standing ovation on the House floor.

“It was so surreal and so incredibly special. I’m humbled,” she said.

Debbie met Stein not long after Hunter died in 2016 and has used the last 8-plus years to advocate for the dangers of opioids. Their connection became so strong that she shared her story in a series of campaign ads for the Governor in the fall. Debbie said his memory still fuels her work on the issue.

Gov. Stein, Debbie Dalton

“We need more Hunters in the world,” Dalton said. “He was this great young man, and he could be contributing. While he made a bad decision that night, you’re not supposed to suffer that sort of consequence for your decision.”

For local anti-fentanyl advocates like Barb Walsh — who founded the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina — the establishment of a Fentanyl Control Unit is many years in the making.

“To me, it’s a continuation of the fight against fentanyl and his support of the over 18,000 devastated families who have a loved one who’s been killed by fentanyl,” Walsh said.

Walsh lost her daughter, Sophia, to fentanyl in August of 2021 and has since worked with lawmakers to get new legislation passed, including a bill making it easier for prosecutors to go after people who sell bad drugs. She believes the time for bipartisan action on the issue is now.

Sophia Walsh



“This is not a red issue or blue issue. Fentanyl does not discriminate in who it kills,” Walsh said.

Stein’s remarks were met with bipartisan applause during last night’s address. The possibility of funding a possible Fentanyl Control Unit will likely arise during budget negotiations.

Gov. Stein will recognize Cornelius resident during State of the State

Read the original article on the Cornelius Today website.

March 10. By Dave Vieser. When North Carolina Governor Josh Stein delivers his first State of the State Address Wednesday evening, Cornelius resident Debbie Dalton will be recognized by the first-term governor. Dalton received the call from Stein’s office last week and she’s thrilled.

“There really aren’t words to describe how much this means to the Dalton family,” she said. “We are so grateful to Gov. Stein as well as all of Hunter’s friends who have been so supportive over the years.”

About the Dalton family

Debbie and her husband Randy lost their son Hunter, who was 23, to an accidental opioid overdose in 2016. Since then she has been dedicated to educating people about the dangers of opioids through the Hunter Dalton HD Life Foundation, which provides education about the dangers of recreational drugs as well as resources to prevent drug usage and death from overdoses.

When Stein was Attorney General, she received the Attorney General’s Dogwood Award which is given annually to honor North Carolinians who are dedicated to keeping people safe and healthy in their communities.

Dalton has been especially active in addressing students in middle schools throughout the state.

About the State of the State address

In North Carolina, the State of the State is given every two years during a joint session of the General Assembly in Raleigh.

It is held in the House chamber, as the Senate chamber is not large enough to fit everyone. There are 50 senators and 120 representatives in the House. The Council of State is there, too, as well as the N.C. Supreme Court and the N.C. Court of Appeals.

Bipartisan pair of senators reintroduce bill to expand fentanyl testing in hospitals

Read the original article on the NBC News website.

First to NBC News: The bill from Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., is called “Tyler’s Law,” named after a California teenager who died following a fentanyl overdose.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.; Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind.

WASHINGTON — Nearly seven years after Tyler Shamash, a 19-year-old from California, died following a fentanyl overdose, a bill that his mother says could have prevented his death is getting renewed focus nearly 3,000 miles away in Washington, D.C.

Shamash overdosed a few days before he died while he was living at a sober living house in 2018. His mom, Juli Shamash, was told he tested negative for drugs because the five-panel tox screen doesn’t test for fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. 

“Had we known, we could have sent him to a place with a higher level of care, instead of the sober living home where he died,” Juli Shamash said in a statement.

She said she believes the doctor didn’t know that fentanyl isn’t included in the standard test run in emergency rooms across the country, which tests for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, PCP and natural and semisynthetic opioids, but not synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., on Tuesday reintroduced the bill, called “Tyler’s Law,” that would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to provide hospitals with guidance on implementing fentanyl testing in routine ER drug screens, according to a news release first shared with NBC News.

In the House, Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., also reintroduced the legislation Tuesday.

Juli Shamash said, “This bill will save lives in situations like Tyler’s, as well as in cases where people are brought into an ER for an overdose of one substance, but they unknowingly consumed fentanyl from a poisoned product.”  

Continue reading “Bipartisan pair of senators reintroduce bill to expand fentanyl testing in hospitals”

Deadliest phase of fentanyl crisis eases, as all states see recovery

The deadliest phase of the street fentanyl crisis appears to have ended, as drug deaths continue to drop at an unprecedented pace. For the first time, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have now seen at least some recovery.

Read the original article on the NPR website.

A new analysis of U.S. overdose data conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill also found that the decline in deaths began much earlier than once understood, suggesting improvements may be sustainable.

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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.

Lenoir woman jailed under $500K bond, charged with death by distribution

Read the original article no the WSOC TV9 website.

LENOIR, N.C. — A woman has been accused of giving a deadly dose of fentanyl to a woman in Concord.

Last February, Hayli White was found along Misty Wood Lane, but police believe the drugs were sold to her in Caldwell County.

“Still shock and disbelief,” said White’s stepfather, Dustin Carswell. “You expect to see her come through the door at night, and she doesn’t. It just doesn’t seem real still.”

The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office said they originally arrested Jessica McMahon four days after White’s death.

Deputies told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty that they seized fentanyl and other narcotics concealed in a hide-a-can they believe she purchased online that looks like a bleach and carpet cleaner bottle.

At the time, McMahon was charged with trafficking, but deputies said they were unaware of White’s death in Concord.

The Concord Police Department alerted them to the death ten days later after finding text messages in White’s phone.

Caldwell County Sheriff Kevin Bean said one of his top priorities since taking office last August is stopping the sale of fentanyl and other drugs and preventing tragedies like White’s.

“It’s my belief that if drug dealers sell this poison to our children and family members and a death occurs, they should be charged with first-degree murder and sent away for life,” Bean elaborated.

White’s family said they hoped the arrest would prevent another senseless death, and they believe by speaking out they’ll possibly help someone else.

“We understand that it’s not going to bring Hayli back, and we just don’t want other families to go through what we have during the past year,” said Carswell.

“It’s not uncommon, you know. And you just don’t think it’s going to happen to you or your family,” said White’s sister, Makenzie Kepler.

McMahon was arrested again on Monday in connection with this incident. She has been charged with death by distribution and is being held in jail under a $500,000 bond, sheriff’s deputies said.

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