Two Clinton men, jailed in November on myriad drug charges, now face a death offense that has been added to the list of their crimes.
Sampson County Sheriff’s Capt. Marcus Smith said arrest warrants were issued Monday for Benjamin Rackley, 43, of Clinton, and Dustin Millen, 37, 1200 Taylors Bridge Hwy., Clinton, charging them both with felony death by distribution, a Class B2 felony under North Carolina law.
The charges come on the heels of an extended investigation into the suspected fentanyl overdose death of a 49-year-old Clinton woman in the early morning hours of Nov. 18, 2025. The victim’s name has never been released, but a probe into her death has been ongoing.
During the initial investigation in November, investigators made multiple arrests related to narcotics trafficking, selling and delivering controlled substances, and maintaining a dwelling used for controlled substances.
Information developed during the November investigation, Smith said, showed that illegal narcotics were being trafficked out of the Taylors Bridge Highway property, leading officers to establish probable cause for the initial warrants and a search.
During that search, investigators recovered what Smith called “trafficking quantities” of fentanyl and meth, along with numerous items of drug paraphernalia, including pipes, needles, syringes, metal spoons with residue and packaging material.
Additional items discovered included suspected stolen property, which was also seized.
Smith said Tuesday that investigators determined controlled substances sold or delivered by Rackley and Millen was “the proximate cause” of the victim’s death in November.
In addition to the new crime, Rackley faces charges of maintaining a dwelling for the use or sale of a controlled substance, sell or deliver of a Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl), conspiracy to sell or deliver a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was still in jail under a $20,000 bond at the time Monday’s warrant was issued. He now is being held without bond pending a hearing.
In addition to Monday’s death by distribution charge, Millen is facing charges of trafficking in Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl), possession methamphetamine, maintaining a dwelling for the use or sale of a controlled substance, sell or delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance, conspiracy to sell or deliver a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He had been released, and was taken into custody again Monday at the Taylors Bridge residence and jailed without bond.
At the time of their arrest in November, a third man, James Bradford, 38, 1200 Taylors Bridge Hwy., Clinton, was also taken into custody and charged with trafficking in a Schedule II controlled substance (fentanyl), possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a dwelling for the use or sale of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He has since been released from jail and is awaiting trial. Additional charges have not been leveled against Bradford, and Smith said “he is not being charged with distribution” in the case.
He did note that an investigation continues.
The sheriff’s captain also said under North Carolina law, death by distribution occurs when evidence in an overdose-related death shows that narcotics sold or delivered by one person caused the death of another. Sentences for this offense may range from approximately 12 years to up to 40 years in prison, depending on the defendant’s criminal history.