Hickory Woman Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Fentanyl And Concealing Death

33-year-old Carissa Lynn Lochbaum of Hickory was sentenced to serve six-to-eight years in prison after she pleaded guilty to trafficking fentanyl and concealing or failing to report a death. The Honorable Peter Knight, Superior Court Judge from Henderson County, handed down the sentence during Catawba County Superior Court Tuesday, July 22. She will also be required to pay a mandatory fine of $500,000.

In May, 2024, Catawba County Deputies conducted a traffic stop. During the incident, a search turned up drugs and a handgun. Lochbaum admitted that they were hers. She also admitted that drugs found in her hotel room belonged to her. An analysis conducted by the State Crime Lab showed that the drugs were a trafficking amount of fentanyl.

The trafficking offense came four months after Lochbaum’s involvement in a concealment of a death case, which was investigated by Long View Police. In January of 2024, a female victim was found deceased in a vehicle in the parking lot at an apartment complex. The victim died from an overdose.

At some point during the incident, Lochbaum picked up a male companion who had left the victim in the car. Lochbaum had knowledge of the female’s death, but did not take any action to report it. She admitted that she knew the victim died from an overdose and should have reported it.

The cases were investigated by the Long View Police Department and the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Taylor Rockett prosecuted the case with aid from Legal Assistant Britnee Ulsamer.

Story: Ralph Mangum-WHKY