Morganton Man Who Walked Away From Trial Convicted, Captured Again And Sentenced

41-year-old William Lavar Brawley of Morganton has been sentenced in a case involving drugs and firearms. On Monday (December 9) he was sentenced to 225 to 285 months, or 18 years, nine months to 23 years, nine months in prison. He was convicted by a Burke County Superior Court jury of felony counts of trafficking by possession of four to 14 grams of acetyl-fentanyl and trafficking by possession of more than 28 grams of fentanyl.

Brawley’s initial arrest occurred in early 2023. During the course of his trial earlier this year, Brawley walked away and was convicted while he was not in the courtroom. He was initially arrested following a traffic stop on January 5, 2023. On that date the Burke County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle for an equipment violation on Interstate 40 near exit 116.

The vehicle was searched and Brawley was found to be in possession of approximately 600 oxycodone pills, 38 grams of fentanyl, seven grams of black tar heroin, numerous alprazolam pills, drug paraphernalia and two firearms. Brawley pled not guilty and a trial began in Burke County Superior Court on May 28, 2024. The trial continued through the rest of that week and concluded on May 31. Brawley did not come to court that date and cut his pre-trial monitoring device off.

The Jury deliberated and returned with their guilty verdict on that same date. Brawley was found and taken into custody in Fentress County, Tennessee, on August 28 by the US Marshals Service and he was extradited back to Burke County on October 9. Due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene with roadways in western North Carolina, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office partnered with other agencies, who assisted in getting Brawley back to Burke County by airplane to be sentenced.

Story: Rob Eastwood-WHKY