Catawba County Man Sentenced To Prison In Fentanyl Trafficking Case

A Hickory man will spend at least a half-dozen years in prison after pleading guilty in a fentanyl trafficking case in Catawba County Superior Court. 35-year-old Casey Everett Pruitt was sentenced to six to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to trafficking fentanyl by possession and transportation on March 9.

The sentence was handed down by Nathaniel J. Poovey, a Superior Court judge in Catawba County. In addition to prison time, Pruitt was ordered to pay a mandatory $50,000 fine.

As result of a traffic stop on January 15, 2024. Deputies with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, it was discovered Pruitt was driving with a suspended license, and drug paraphernalia was visible inside the vehicle.

Although Pruitt told officers there were no drugs in the vehicle, a search revealed a clear plastic bag containing a white powdery substance hidden in the driver’s side door panel. The North Carolina State Crime Laboratory later confirmed the substance was a trafficking amount of fentanyl.

The investigation was handled by Sean Ruddy and Wesley Crowe with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Greer, with assistance from Legal Assistant Stacey London.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY