Graduate of drug rehab caught dealing drugs to people in treatment, NC sheriff says

A man who graduated from a drug rehabilitation program and became a staff member there is accused of selling drugs to people in treatment at the facility, according to a North Carolina sheriff’s office.

“You can’t make this stuff up,” Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said in a statement. “To think we bent over backwards to assist a repeated convicted felon with his drug addiction only to watch him take advantage of the situation to conduct drug sales within a rehabilitation center is quite disturbing.”

Deputies arrested the 51-year-old on Sept. 8 after receiving complaints that people undergoing treatment for drug addictions at the Robeson County facility were being targeted for drug sales by the staff member, the statement says. Deputies stopped him in a vehicle and found cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

He is charged with possession with intent to sale or deliver cocaine, maintaining a drug vehicle, felony conspiracy and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies also arrested a 28-year-old woman on charges of possession with intent to sale or deliver cocaine, felony conspiracy and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Both were brought to the Robeson County Detention Center and given bonds of $100,000.

Wilkins said in a statement that the man was taking advantage of vulnerable people for his own benefit.

“The very people we are trying to help now have a supervisor swaying them towards continued drug use for his personal benefit,” the statement says. “We are thankful we were able to bring this to a quick conclusion and look forward to our day in court.”

Robeson County is about 100 miles south of Raleigh.

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