Arrests at North Carolina Methadone Clinic

DRUG WAR CONTINUES –

May 21, 2024 – Probation Officer Carter was hot on Emma’s heels. Early on August 16, 2023, according to Onslow County Superior Court filings, he waited outside her house in Hubert, a suburb to the east of Jacksonville, until she left home that morning. Then, the officer followed her to the clinic. Carter was alone, and was not supposed to “engage” Emma by himself. So after he observed her enter the facility, he called for back-up from the local police. Officer Kent, of Jacksonville Police Department, soon arrived to provide assistance, according to testimony Kent filed to the court.

The two officers entered the center, where they were promptly told to leave by its director, Jeffrey Jones.

Jones was concerned that the presence of the police could cause anxiety among patients—over 200 people visit on some days—and that, in any case, medical confidentiality laws prevented him from revealing whether any specific person was present at the center.

“[Jones] immediately asked all officers to step outside,” recounted Kent.