Austin Lee Hector
29-year-old Austin Lee Hector was sentenced Wednesday, March 18, after pleading guilty to two counts of trafficking fentanyl by possession. Superior Court Judge Nathaniel J. Poovey imposed the active prison term, along with a mandatory $500,000 fine.
The charges stem from multiple incidents investigated by local law enforcement.
On January 3, 2025, Hickory Police conducted a welfare check after Hector was found slumped over the wheel of a vehicle at a convenience store. When officers opened the door, they found Hector holding a glass smoking pipe with powder residue. A search of the vehicle and Hector uncovered multiple containers of fentanyl, with additional bags of drugs discovered during a search at the jail.
In a separate incident on September 22, 2024, Hector (pictured) was stopped for failing to maintain lane control. During the stop, officers observed a bag of narcotics in plain view on the passenger side, where an unconscious individual was seated. A further search revealed another bag of drugs on the driver’s side floorboard where Hector had been sitting.
The North Carolina State Crime Lab later confirmed the substances seized in both cases amounted to trafficking quantities of fentanyl.
The investigations were conducted by the Hickory Police Department and the Brookford Police Department, with Caleb Turner and Jake Brantley leading the cases.
Story; Rob Eastwood-WHKY