Alexa Jo Carnes, 36, of Newton, was given an active prison sentence of six to eight years for trafficking opiates (fentanyl) by possession during Catawba County Superior Court on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.
The Honorable Daniel A. Kuehnert, Superior Court Judge from Burke County, imposed the prison sentence for Carnes after she entered her plea.
Carnes will serve her period of incarceration in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections. She also will be required to pay a mandatory fine of $50,000.
On October 17, 2022, a vehicle stop by Maiden Police Department for an expired tag led to the arrest of Carnes for possession of the opiates.
She was the front passenger of the vehicle, and suspected narcotics were found in her seat when she exited. A subsequent search resulted in the discovery of drug paraphernalia in the center console and front passenger door pocket. Upon her arrest, Carnes informed officers she had more drugs on her person and produced three plastic baggies containing suspected narcotics.
The drugs in those bags were sent to the State Crime Lab for testing, and the results showed a trafficking amount of opiates.
The case was investigated by Maiden Police Department. Jonathan Greer prosecuted the matter for the District Attorney’s Office with aid from Legal Assistant Stacey London.