All but one of the charges levied in March against former Sanford Opioid Commission member Armunda Hancock – a single count of possession of drug paraphernalia – have been dismissed, according to Hancock’s attorney.
Hancock resigned his position on the opioid board after being charged by deputies with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office with trafficking opiates by possession, trafficking opiates by transportation, possession with intent to sell and distribute opiates, and more after a traffic stop in which multiple opioids were seized. At the time, Hancock said he maintained his innocence.
Hancock’s attorney, Chas Post, said the Wake County District Attorney’s Office dismissed most of the charges in December after “a more thorough and detailed investigation.” Hancock pleaded no contest to a single count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
“Mr. Hancock was wrongfully accused of mid-level felony drug trafficking charges that he did not commit. During a more thorough and detailed investigation regarding the facts of the case by myself and the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, it was determined that the alleged narcotics found in the vicinity of Mr. Hancock’s person were, in fact, not Mr. Hancock’s. Instead of risking going to prison for a mandatory active sentence on the more serious charges, Mr. Hancock pled no contest to one misdemeanor count of being in constructive possession of drug paraphernalia,” Post said in a statement. “A no contest plea is not a guilty plea – it is simply a judicial mechanism for folks charged with a criminal offense to resolve their case without the risk of getting convicted of something more serious and without admitting guilt to something they did not do. In the digital age, mugshots and headlines can lead to a conviction in the court of public opinion before the criminal justice system can even do its job. I appreciate The Rant following this story to its end.”
Post is a pretty good lawyer it seems.