A Durham man faces a Death by Distribution charge after being arrested on Tuesday in connection to a fatal overdose investigated by Carrboro Police.

A release from the Carrboro Police Department said regional U.S. marshals arrested 33-year-old David Allen Bonita over the death of 31-year-old Arman Guerra Imani, who was found dead in a residence on East Winmore Avenue on March 29, 2023. According to the release, an autopsy later revealed Imani to have died from a fentanyl overdose and authorities’ investigation uncovered Bonita had sold a qualifying controlled substance to Imani that was the “proximate cause” to his death. Records show a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Orange County courthouse on Oct. 31.

Death by Distribution is a charge created by a state law enacted in 2019, as the measure allows the prosecution of those who sold substances to buyers who later overdosed from those specific drugs. North Carolina adopted Death by Distribution as a response to the ongoing opioid epidemic across the United States.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Bonita is confined in the Orange County Detention Center under a $150,000 bond. Court records indicate he will make his first appearance on the charge at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

Carrboro Police said in their release their officers are committed to “providing life-saving care” to overdose victims when called upon. The department has required officers to carry naloxone, which reverses opioid overdose symptoms, since 2014. Tuesday’s alert encouraged residents to remember the Good Samaritan Law and call 911 if someone is overdosing, as the North Carolina law provides protections to someone in an overdose state and an emergency caller if certain conditions are met.

For those suffering from substance abuse and other behavioral health challenges, the Orange County government offers a list of resources on its website.

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