William Lavar Brawley, 41, of Morganton, was sentenced to a prison term of 18 to 23 years on jury convictions for trafficking fentanyl during Burke County Superior Court on Monday, December 9, 2024.
The Honorable Carla Archie, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, imposed terms of the active sentence for Brawley, who was found guilty by a Burke County jury during a May 2024 trial but did not return for court during that session.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections. He also is required to pay a mandatory fine of $500,000.
Deputies with the Burke County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop in the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 on January 5, 2023, and a K-9 unit gave positive indication of controlled substances in the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle and defendant turned up a significant amount of fentanyl pills, fentanyl powder and acetyl fentanyl. Brawley was taken into custody and charged with trafficking fentanyl.
The trial started on May 28, 2024, and the jury found Brawley guilty of trafficking acetyl fentanyl and trafficking fentanyl on May 31, 2024.
The defendant did not show for court before the jury returned its verdict. He was located by the United States Marshal Service on August 28, 2024, in Tennessee, and was returned to Burke County by officers with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Burke County Sheriff’s Office on October 9, 2024.
Burke County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the United States Marshal Service. Chief Assistant District Attorney Mitch Walker prosecuted the matter for the State.