Durham man arrested in Chapel Hill death faces new narcotics charges in Raleigh
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- Aaron Brooks arrested in Raleigh on new drug trafficking and possession charges
- Brooks previously charged with distributing drugs in Chapel Hill overdose death
- Court records show Brooks has multiple active felony cases across three counties
A Durham man charged in the overdose death of a woman last year in Chapel Hill has been arrested on more drug charges in Wake County, court records show.
Aaron Donald Brooks, 40, was charged Wednesday with three felonies: possession with intent to sell or deliver cocaine, possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule II controlled substance, and trafficking in methamphetamine.
Raleigh police also charged him with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana paraphernalia, records show. Police seized 22 grams of cocaine, 53 grams of methamphetamine, and a myriad of smoking pipes, scales and baggies containing what appeared to be drug residue, an arrest warrant states.
Court records show Brooks was released from the Orange County jail Aug. 7 after posting a $300,000 secured bond. He is being held without bond in the Wake County jail, records show.
Chapel Hill overdose death charges
Brooks has multiple cases also pending in Durham and Orange counties, court records show.
In January, he was charged with felony death by distribution after Chapel Hill police found Ashley Lane, 39, unresponsive in her room on Dec. 28 at The Graduate Hotel on Franklin Street. Lane died on Dec. 31 at UNC Hospitals.
Brooks was with Lane the night before she died, he told police after calling the hotel’s front desk to report she was not breathing. A hotel employee called 911 and used a Narcan nasal spray on Lane that Brooks had with him.
Brooks told Chapel Hill police that Lane had smoked fentanyl the night before. Narcan is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Police did not find any illegal drugs or paraphernalia in the hotel room.
Lane’s family told The News & Observer that the Chatham County stylist and mother of three had struggled with addiction after breaking her foot and turning to drugs to ease the pain.
Lane had moved to North Carolina from Indiana in June 2024, after losing her 22-year-old sister. She was unable to get the mental health care she needed but found joy in spending time with her children, singing and dancing, shopping, and visiting the beach, her family said.
Her younger sister, Melissa Rodriguez, recalled hours talking with her on the phone.
“I miss laughing with her the most,” Helton added. “No matter what we did, we were laughing. She loved the ocean, and we shared time at the beach together. There was never a dull moment when we were together.”
More charges pending in Durham County
Police recovered text messages from Lane’s phone showing Brooks had arranged to sell drugs to her at the hotel, a search warrant states. He was also charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver a controlled substance, sale or delivery of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance, records show.
Brooks had been released from the Durham County jail about three weeks before Lane died.
Arrest warrants show he was charged with selling drugs to Durham undercover officers using the dating app Grindr. Psychedelic mushrooms, cocaine, LSD, and prescription narcotics were found in his home, along with drug packaging and a large amount of money, the warrant says.
Brooks is facing several felonies in the Durham case, including two counts of delivering methamphetamines; two counts of selling methamphetamines; possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver methamphetamines; and trafficking in methamphetamines, court records show.
Additional felony charges of manufacture, sell, deliver or possession of methamphetamines within 1,000 feet of a park; and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for controlled substances were dismissed in April after he failed to show up for a court hearing, records show.
He also is facing a felony stalking charge and two counts of misdemeanor violation of a domestic violence order in an unrelated Durham County case, court records show.
This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 12:01 PM.
