NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Three people have been arrested in connection to the fatal overdose of an 83-year-old in New Hanover County.
The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office (NHCSO) says on Dec. 6, 2024, deputies found an 83-year-old woman dead inside her home on Horndale Drive in New Hanover County.
On Jan. 10, deputies arrested 30-year-old Michael Britt, 46-year-old Daniel Reaves, and 45-year-old Melissa Norris-Cribb in connection to the overdose.
Britt was charged with:
Death by Distribution
Trafficking in Opium or Heroin/Fentanyl
Trafficking Methamphetamines
Possession with the intent to Manufacture, Sell and Deliver Fentanyl
Sell and Deliver Schedule I (Fentanyl)
Conspiracy to Sell Schedule I (Fentanyl)
Maintain/Sell/Deliver/Possess within 1000 feet of a school
Possession of a firearm by a felon
According to NHCSO, Britt received an additional 23 drug-related charges and has a $1,190,000 secured bond.
Cribb was charged with:
Death by Distribution
Possession with the intent to Manufacture, Sell, and Deliver Schedule I (Fentanyl)
Sell and Deliver Schedule I (Fentanyl)
Conspiracy to Sell Schedule I (Fentanyl)
According to NHCSO, Cribb received a $155,000 secured bond.
Reaves was charged with:
Death by Distribution
Possession with the intent to Manufacture, Sell, and Deliver Schedule I (Fentanyl)
Sell and Deliver Schedule 1 (Fentanyl)
Conspiracy to Sell Schedule I (Fentanyl)
According to NHCSO, Reaves received no bond as he waits for his first appearance in New Hanover County Superior Court.
Tina and Tom Johnson have brought a federal lawsuit against Sheriff Brian Chism and several other law enforcement officers. They’re alleging that the department is responsible for the death of their daughter Brittany Johnson. WHQR’s Nikolai Mather sat down with news director Ben Schachtman to discuss the details of this case.
Ben Schachtman: Nikolai — thanks for joining us. So the plaintiffs in this lawsuit are Tina and Tom Johnson. You’ve reported on story before: remind people who they are and what’s the latest.
Nikolai Mather: Yeah, so, the Johnsons are a married couple from Supply. They lost their daughter Brittany Johnson to a meth overdose in 2022. Ever since then, they’ve been asking the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office to share the findings of its investigation into her death. Now, they’re suing several law enforcement officers, saying that they should be held responsible for her death.
BS: So who specifically are they suing?
NM: Four of the defendants are named. There’s Alexander Melvin, who is a deputy for BCSO’s drug enforcement unit; Timmie Clemmons, who is a BCSO detective; Sheriff Brian Chism, and Alice Camden Alessandra, who was Brittany Johnson’s parole officer at the time of her death. The Johnsons are also suing 5 John Does, saying that because they don’t yet know everyone involved in their daughter’s death, they’re using those names as placeholders. They’re also suing Brunswick County as a whole.
BS: Gotcha. So what’s the Johnsons’ case for this as a wrongful death?
NM: Well, to understand that, you have to understand the rocky relationship they have with BCSO.
After investigating, the sheriff’s office declared her cause of death to be accidental drug overdose, with no foul play suspected. But the Johnsons think that’s not the full story. Like, after her death, they found a Bluetooth connection in their daughter’s car labeled “BCSO Surveillance Unit 098.” The sheriff’s office told them they had no idea where it came from, but the Johnsons think it suggests their daughter was a confidential informant for the department.
They’ve asked the sheriff for answers. BCSO told them their daughter wasn’t a CI, but didn’t say whether her friends were. And in a lot of instances, the office has clammed up entirely, saying they need a court order for more info.
BS: So, to be clear, these allegations are things BCSO has disputed or declined to comment on?
NM: Right. These allegations are based on the Johnsons’ own findings, in their own private investigation. And they now say that they have reason to believe their daughter was a confidential informant for the sheriff. Brittany had previously struggled with drug addiction, and her family says putting her in that position ultimately contributed to her relapse and to her death.
BS: I see. So this is a pretty big step – a federal lawsuit is no joke. But I was curious as to whether they were pursuing any criminal charges here, in addition to these civil charges.
NM: That process is a little different. You can ask the FBI or the SBI to look into a case. But ultimately, criminal investigations are up to those guys, whereas anyone can file a civil lawsuit. You’ve been covering the courts longer than me, Ben — is it typical for a civil lawsuit to be filed when there isn’t a criminal investigation?
BS: It really depends on the case. When it comes to law enforcement, there might be a lot of things that aren’t illegal but constitute policy violations. That could involve a review by state authorities — but it wouldn’t be for criminal charges. Also, it’s worth noting that in North Carolina, as in many states, the standard of proof for crimes like involuntary manslaughter — or negligent homicide — is going to be more intense than proving liability in a civil case.
NM: For sure.
BS: So, what’s next for this case?
NM: Well, I asked BCSO some questions about this lawsuit. Glenn Emery, an attorney with the office, said they couldn’t really comment on an ongoing lawsuit.
There’s not a trial date quite yet. The plaintiffs will have to respond, and will likely ask to dismiss the case. But if it stays in court, there will be discovery — meaning the Johnsons will have to produce their evidence, and the Sheriff’s Office will likely have to turn over some documents as well. If the case proceeds, there’s also a good chance some of the people they mention in the suit will be brought in for sworn depositions or asked to sign affidavits.
BS: That was WHQR’s rural reporter Nikolai Mather. Nikolai, thanks for coming by.
The indictment, announced by U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina, includes 27 people from the Tar Heel State.
All but one of the defendants are already in custody. 18 of them will have their first court appearances in North Carolina on Tuesday or Wednesday. If convicted, they face up to life in prison for narcotics conspiracy and up to 20 years for money laundering conspiracy.
The charges of narcotics distribution conspiracy include fentanyl, an ongoing problem statewide.
“There is someone who has died from fentanyl in all 100 counties,” Barb Walsh said. “We connect the families to one another so they can gain support and understanding.”
“Killed by fentanyl in a water bottle in 2021. Took us five months to find out that fentanyl killed her. Took seven months to find out that it was the water bottle,” Walsh said. “We learned that it was killing a lot of North Carolinians and that these families, like myself, felt very alone, and we felt nobody really wanted to hear how or why our loved one died. Once they heard the word fentanyl, they were not interested anymore.”
Amid Tuesday’s arrests, overdoses are going down in the state. The latest CDC data predicts deaths have dropped about 30% from 2023 to 2024. Walsh says this is likely due to education and more distribution of naloxone, which she encourages everyone to keep on them, especially since many victims do not know they’re ingesting fentanyl.
“They think it’s adderall. They think they need to do well on the test, so they’ll take a pill from that they order off Snapchat, and it contains fentanyl, and they’re dead,” Walsh said. “That is how easy someone could die.”
She also wants people experiencing grief from a fentanyl death to know there are resources available.
“Once we are gathered together and understanding our grief together, we have chosen to redirect our pain into passion, and that is to save someone else’s life by educating them about fentanyl,” Walsh said.
The indictment, announced by U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina, includes 27 people from the Tar Heel State.
All but one of the defendants are already in custody. 18 of them will have their first court appearances in North Carolina on Tuesday or Wednesday. If convicted, they face up to life in prison for narcotics conspiracy and up to 20 years for money laundering conspiracy.
The charges of narcotics distribution conspiracy include fentanyl, an ongoing problem statewide.
“There is someone who has died from fentanyl in all 100 counties,” Barb Walsh said. “We connect the families to one another so they can gain support and understanding.”
“Killed by fentanyl in a water bottle in 2021. Took us five months to find out that fentanyl killed her. Took seven months to find out that it was the water bottle,” Walsh said. “We learned that it was killing a lot of North Carolinians and that these families, like myself, felt very alone, and we felt nobody really wanted to hear how or why our loved one died. Once they heard the word fentanyl, they were not interested anymore.”
Amid Tuesday’s arrests, overdoses are going down in the state. The latest CDC data predicts deaths have dropped about 30% from 2023 to 2024. Walsh says this is likely due to education and more distribution of naloxone, which she encourages everyone to keep on them, especially since many victims do not know they’re ingesting fentanyl.
“They think it’s adderall. They think they need to do well on the test, so they’ll take a pill from that they order off Snapchat, and it contains fentanyl, and they’re dead,” Walsh said. “That is how easy someone could die.”
She also wants people experiencing grief from a fentanyl death to know there are resources available.
“Once we are gathered together and understanding our grief together, we have chosen to redirect our pain into passion, and that is to save someone else’s life by educating them about fentanyl,” Walsh said.
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.”
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.
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.
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA — An Ayden man was sentenced to the NC Department of Adult Corrections after pleading guilty to trafficking fentanyl, according to District Attorney Scott Thomas.
Marvin Murphy (Photo: State of North Carolina p General Court of Justice)
41-year-old Marvin Murphy was sentenced to a serve 7.5 to 10 years behind bars. In addition, Murphy was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.
Back in the summer of 2022, Morehead City and Carteret County detectives conducted controlled undercover buys from Murphy. This included the purchase of what was believed to be heroin for a total of $1,000 in marked cash. Murphy was later arrested after officials obtained warrants.
Testing by the NC State Crime Lab confirmed the substance was 27.99 grams of fentanyl. Officials say it was just under the highest-level trafficking weight.
The Morehead City Police Department and Carteret County Sheriff’s Office was the investigatory agencies. Assistant District Attorney David Spence prosecuted the case for the state and Superior Court Judge William Bland presided over the matter.
