MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WITN) – A man has been charged with the overdose death of a woman last summer in Morehead City.
Morehead City police say Bryan Mace was arrested last Thursday on charges of death by distribution, possession with the intent to sell and deliver a Schedule II controlled substance, and delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance.
Police say Kaitlyn Curry died from an overdose last July. An arrest warrant said Mace delivered fentanyl to the 36-year-old woman
Mace was already in jail for related drug charges. His bond was increased by $750,000 due to these additional charges.
HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (FOX Carolina) – The District Attorney’s Office for Prosecutorial District 42 reports that a woman was found guilty after a victim died from ingesting Fentanyl in 2023.
Heather Marie Maybin, 38, from Hendersonville, was found guilty of death by distribution.
The court trial record said that Maybin was a drug dealer who conducted her controlled substances activities over Facebook Messenger.
A transaction she arranged in the Walmart parking lot located off Highland Square Drive on Feb. 6, 2023, involved a quantity of fentanyl sold for $40, the court trial record said.
The investigation revealed the victim and a friend ingested the drug that evening through a hypodermic needle. The victim lost consciousness, stopped breathing and was later declared to have died from Fentanyl toxicity
The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office used a search warrant to obtain communications received through Facebook Messenger, court records said.
Maybin was sentenced to a minimum term of 66 months and a maximum term of 92 months in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.
District Attorney Andrew Murray said “My office, along with our dedicated and professional partners, is committed to ridding our community of fentanyl by holding drug dealers accountable for these untimely and extremely tragic deaths.”
A man arrested during a drug bust earlier this week is now facing a murder charge for his alleged involvement in an overdose death.
On May 27, 2024, deputies with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a residence on Highland Avenue in reference to a possible cardiac arrest that appeared to be an overdose.
Upon arrival, deputies found the victim, Johnathon Pruitt, deceased inside the home.
During the investigation, authorities spotted 63-year-old Kenneth Ray Melton leaving the home on foot. Investigators spoke with Melton and he gave consent for investigators to search him. Law enforcement found multiple baggies of fentanyl on Melton.
Melton was arrested and charged with the following:
Possession with intent to manufacture sell and distribute a Schedule II controlled substance
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.
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.
PASQUOTANK, N.C. (WAVY) — A man in North Carolina was charged in the death of a woman after she died from fentanyl ingestion.
On July 2, 2024, around 4 p.m., deputies with the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office and EMS responded to the 700 block of Egan Lane in Elizabeth City. Crews arrived and attempted life-saving measures on an unconscious and unresponsive woman, but were unsuccessful.
29-year-old Jessica Modlin was pronounced dead at the scene. It was determined that fentanyl was the cause of death.
On Jan. 30, 2025, investigators with the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Dontae Williams with death by distribution.
Dontae Williams is currently in the custody of Albemarle District Jail under a $1 million secure bond.
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.
Barb Walsh, Executive Director of Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina, fights to save lives and get justice for those killed by fentanyl poisoning. Joining Barb in the fight are Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina members Michelle Murdock and Betsy Ballard Moore.
There are two episodes being aired, Part 1 is airing January 11th, Part 2 will air one week later, January 18.
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.
