ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A man has been sentenced to more than six years in state prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and habitual felon charges, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Kristopher James Newman, 41, entered the plea in Buncombe County Superior Court before Judge George Bell. He was sentenced to an active prison term of 76 to 104 months in the N.C. Department of Adult Correction.
The case began June 2, 2025, when Asheville police responded to a shoplifting report at a Walmart in Asheville. Officers identified Newman as the suspect, and during a pat-down search for stolen merchandise, he attempted to run but was quickly caught, according to prosecutors. Officers found 26 grams of fentanyl on him during the arrest.
Prosecutors said Newman was sentenced as a habitual felon, a designation that increases penalties for people with three or more prior felony convictions. Newman’s record includes felony assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer, felony sale or delivery of a controlled substance and felony larceny — all from McDowell County.
“We work closely with law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable for trafficking in dangerous and deadly substances like fentanyl and will continue to seek substantial accountability from them to protect the community,” District Attorney Todd Williams said in a statement.