Skateboard wheels skid in front of Sadie’s home, scraping, squeaking, then moving on. She paces between the porch rails, trying to peek at the face below the rider’s floppy hair.
Gwyneth Brown holds a photo of her son, Laird Ramirez, a 17-year-old Mecklenburg highschoolerwho died last July after taking a pressed pill that disguised fentanyl as a Percocet, his parents said. MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Is it Laird? Looks like Laird. Sounds like him, too, Gwyneth Brown imagines Sadie, her panting, shedding German Shepherd, is thinking.
“I’m with Sadie on this one,” said Brown. “I’m still waiting for him to come home.”
The pair have been waiting more than a year for one of the skaters to kick up their board and walk up the front steps. They never do. It’s never Laird.
Laird Ramirez, a 17-year-old Mecklenburg highschooler, skateboarder and wrestler, died last July after taking a pressed pill that disguised fentanyl — a lethal synthetic opioid — as a Percocet, his parents said.
The Charlotte Observer reported a year ago on accounts from parents and students of how those $7 pills infiltrated Hough High School and how drug incidents inside Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools reached a 10-year high amidst Laird’s death.
Justice, Brown said, did not follow in his wake. While law enforcement and prosecutors say they’re aggressively going after people whose drugs lead to an overdose or fentanyl poisoning, some families say they haven’t seen that — and they’re searching for ways to cope once court dates pass.
Mecklenburg death by distribution cases
A man who was 21 in July 2023 was accused of selling Laird fentanyl and charged with death by distribution.
Brown says there was video footage of that drug deal. She says the drugs captured on camera killed her son. Half a pill was still in his wallet when police returned it to her.
More than a year after a Carrboro man fatally overdosed, a Durham man has been accused of selling him the fentanyl that killed him, police said Tuesday.
More than a year after a Carrboro man fatally overdosed, a Durham man has been accused of selling him the fentanyl that killed him, police said Tuesday.
David Allen Bonita, 34, is charged with death by distribution in the March 29, 2023, death of Arman Guerra Imani, 32, according to a Carrboro Police Department news release. Bonita allegedly sold and delivered fentanyl to Imani, who died after injecting it, Bonita’s arrest warrant states.
Imani was found unresponsive by his mother in the bathroom of his East Winmore Avenue home shortly before 3 p.m. that day, according to an investigative report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He was last known to be alive around midnight.
Imani’s cause of death was an accidental overdose due to “acute ethanol, fentanyl, gabapentin, methadone and mitragynine toxicity,” the medical examiner’s investigative report states.
Bonita’s arrest warrant was issued on Oct. 31, but he was not arrested by members of the Carolinas Regional U.S. Marshals Task Force until Tuesday, police said. He is being held in the Orange County Detention Center on $150,000 secured bond, records show.
Fentanyl deaths, death by distribution charges in the Triangle
Bonita’s arrest mirrors another recent case in Carrboro in which Jeremiah Hargrove, 20, of Selma was charged with death by distribution in the June 27, 2023, death of Serguei Ndinga Momo, 21, The News & Observer previously reported. Momo also overdosed on fentanyl, police said.
The most recent data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services shows that as of July, there were 169 fentanyl-positive deaths throughout the state, a decrease from the 262 fentanyl-positive deaths North Carolina had seen by July 2023. In Orange County, there had been nine fentanyl-positive deaths as of Nov. 25., the department reported. That’s a decline from the 26 fentanyl-positive deaths in the county from January to August 2023, data shows.
Death by distribution charges remain relatively uncommon throughout the state and the Triangle, statewide data shows.
Throughout North Carolina, 54 death by distribution charges were filed from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, according to data obtained by The N&O from the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. During that same period, no new death by distribution charges were filed in Orange or Durham counties, and only one new charge was filed in Wake County.
A born naturalist and animal lover
Imani, a graduate of East Chapel Hill High School who attended UNC-Wilmington, was described by loved ones in his obituary as “a born naturalist.” The 32-year-old animal lover was passionate about politics and social justice and enjoyed gardening, fishing, cooking and searching for edible plants in the woods, according to his obituary.
“He wanted to change the paradigm on how Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is treated in the US, allowing for a more open spectrum of treatment options,” the obituary states.
Above all, Imani’s legacy is the kindness he showed to those around him, his obituary says.
“The one enduring trait that people will remember about Arman was his kindness,” the obituary said. “In keeping with Arman’s way of life, in lieu of flowers or gifts, we ask that you convey kindness unto others, especially those who are in need.”
Overdose or Murder, Part 1: The Worst Call A Parent Can Get
When someone dies from a drug overdose, who should we blame? And how should they be punished? In Part 1 of this special “Start Here” series, ABC’s Camille Petersen explores the nationwide rise of drug-induced homicide laws, which allow for criminal charges against whoever gave or sold someone the drugs that caused their death. She takes us to North Carolina, where two families grapple with the pain and promise of these new laws.
Overdose or Murder, Part 2: ‘Perfect’ Justice?
Some families believe drug-induced homicide laws are a powerful form of justice. Others worry the laws will do more harm than good. In Part 2 of this special “Start Here” series, ABC’s Camille Petersen explores the fierce debate over these laws and how they may continue shaping our response to overdose deaths.
CARRBORO, N.C. (WNCN) — More than a year and a half after a man died from a fentanyl overdose, the person suspected of selling the drug to him has been arrested, according to police.
On Tuesday, the Carrboro Police Department announced David Allen Bonita, 33, of Durham was arrested in connection to an overdose, which happened in Carrboro on March 29, 2023. Bonita is charged with death by distribution.
The overdose victim, a 32-year-old man, was found in a home on E. Winmore Avenue in Carrboro. Police say he was deceased when officers arrived.
The victim’s autopsy found that his death was the result of a fentanyl overdose, police said. This laid the foundation for an investigation which led to the identification of Bonita as the person who “sold a qualifying controlled substance” to the victim, which was the “proximate cause” of his death.
The Carolinas Regional US Marshals Task Force arrested Bonita Tuesday. He is being held in the Orange County Detention Center and was given a $150,000 bond.
In a release shared Tuesday, Carrboro police reminded the public that the first step to take when you suspect someone is in an overdose state is to call 911 immediately. Protections are provided to someone in an overdose state and the 911 caller if certain criteria are met, as listed in NC’s Good Samaritan Law.
The Carrboro Police Department has carried naloxone, an opioid antagonist, since 2014. The agency also conducted the first two law enforcement reversals of an opioid overdose in the state in 2015.
“The police department is committed to providing life-saving care in these situations,” the release said, alongside a link to behavioral health resources for people living with substance use and other challenges.
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a suspect involved in a fatal overdose investigation that started in May of last year.
Michael Lawrence Walker Jr. was arrested on Friday, Nov. 8 and is suspected of selling and delivering fentanyl to 28-year-old Hannah Holt on May 7, 2023.
Holt was found dead inside an apartment building on Tesla Park Drive. .
Walker was charged with death by distribution, second-degree murder, PWIMSD Sch II CS and sell/deliver Sch II CS. He received no bond and awaits his first appearance in New Hanover County Superior Court.
Today, the Department of the Treasury sanctioned the leaders of La Linea, a violent Mexican drug cartel responsible for trafficking fentanyl and other drugs to the United States. The designations are just the latest example of how the US government is trying to grapple with the fentanyl epidemic, which has become one of the top national security threats to the United States. It is one of the leading causes of death among young and middle-aged Americans, having killed nearly 75,000 Americans in 2023.
Financial partnerships between Chinese money laundering organizations (CMLO) and Mexican cartels have made it more challenging for US law enforcement agencies to track the movements of drug money. Financial sanctions have so far proven an effective tool in reducing the growth in crypto-denominated fentanyl sales and should be used more frequently by the US government to tactically disrupt the trade of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
SELMA, N.C. (WTVD) — A major operation in Johnston County that’s been 10 months in the making has taken dozens of alleged drug dealers off the street.
Selma Police said “Operation Tainted Candy” resulted in 25 arrests Tuesday, and that SPD confiscated large quantities of meth, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and more. The sting constitutes one of the largest in Selma’s history.
“I just think that it’s really important that our streets are safe and our neighborhoods are safe,” said Vanessa Lopez, a Selma resident and mother of five.
It makes you feel like you’re doing something great for your community, great for the town, and you’re getting bad stuff off the streets. – Sgt. Justin Vause, Selma Police Department.
Vanessa’s children range in age from 9 to 20, and she said that means a fair share of worrying about their safety and what potentially looms on the street.
“They’re all within the space of ages that I would be thinking about, you know, their friendships and the people that they’re spending time with,” she said. “And they also want to ride bikes around the neighborhood and just things like that.”
As part of the sting, which used undercover drug buys across Selma during 10 months, police rounded up drugs and alleged drug dealers at various locations, including the Quality Inn, and homes on Wood Street and Cypress Court.
“It makes you feel like you’re doing something great for your community, great for the town, and you’re getting bad stuff off the streets,” said Sgt. Justin Vause with Selma PD.
The town’s mayor, Byron McAllister, said he’s proud of the work being done to clean up Selma’s streets.
“That is a blessing to this community, particularly a community being right off of (Interstate) 95 that sees the effects of drugs daily on a daily basis up front, close and personal,” said McAllister.
McAllister said that as a father of four, he’s reassured knowing the work that’s underway to combat drug crime.
“You can go to sleep much easier knowing that there’s someone always watching your back in the town of Selma,” he said.
Selma PD identified 27 targets as part of Operation Tainted Candy and is still searching for two suspects in the sting. Charges range from simple possession to possession with intent to distribute, to drug trafficking, and more.
Published: Sep. 20, 2024 at 11:41 AM EDT|Updated: Sep. 20, 2024 at 3:24 PM EDT
EDENTON, N.C. (WITN) – Two people have been indicted for three overdose deaths that happened in one Eastern Carolina County.
The SBI announced this morning the arrests of Steven Patrick, Jr. and Ja’Nyryah White, both of Edenton.
The three deaths happened last December, along with several other non-fatal ODs, within 15 days of each other.
The victims were 66-year-old Janice Chilcutt, 61-year-old Ronald Adderly, and 24-year-old April Tapia.
Chilcutt and Adderly died in Edenton, while Tapia’s death was in the county.
A Chowan County grand jury indicted Patrick on two counts of death by distribution for the Edenton deaths, while White was charged with one count of death by distribution for the Chowan County death.
The SBI was brought in to investigate the deaths at the request of the Edenton Police Department and the Chowan County Sheriff’s Office.
Patrick was given a $500,000 secured bond, and White’s bond was $250,000 secured. Both suspects remain in jail.
Forsyth County leaders discussed plans for more than $36 million in opioid settlement money, $6 million of which is headed straight to Winston-Salem.
Forsyth County leaders discussed plans for more than $36 million in opioid settlement money, $6 million of which is headed straight to Winston-Salem.
This money will be stretched over an 18-year span; distribution of the funds started about two years ago.
During the information session that discussed this settlement money, county and municipal leaders discussed ways the community can partner together to combat the opioid crisis.
King Mayor Rick McCraw says one strategy they’re implementing is educating seniors on how to handle Narcan.
“Because a lot of seniors now are raising their grandchildren or maybe another senior mate that may have taken their medicine twice, and they need to have Narcan,” McCraw said. “To be educated to administer Narcan if it arises if you need to do that.”
But the focus is also on young people.
Cheryl Wilson lost her son to fentanyl in 2020. She says the next step in this conversation is erasing the stigma surrounding Narcan.
“It enables breathing, it enables life, it enables a family to remain intact,” Wilson said. “I distribute naloxone to anyone in need, sometimes who are not in need, because I feel like they might need it eventually. And it’s how I keep my son alive.”
County leaders say this opioid settlement has some limitations; it must be used for evidence-based treatment and prevention.
