Wilmington man sentenced to 12 years in prison for meth, gun offenses

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for meth and gun charges.

28-year-old Charles Hunter Nixon received the ruling Thursday for possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

“Nixon is off the street today thanks to the hard work of the Wilmington Police Department,” District Attorney Ben David said. “The partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, coupled with the financial support of New Hanover County, makes results like the one we saw in court possible. Our offices remain committed to keeping our community safe by taking violent offenders and narcotics off the street.”

According to court documents, officers with the Wilmington Police Department conducted a traffic stop of Nixon’s vehicle for reckless driving. During the traffic stop, officers saw an AM-15 semi-automatic rifle on the floorboard of the backseat. They also discovered the defendant was a convicted felon and had outstanding warrants for his arrest for cutting off his GPS ankle monitor.

During a search of the vehicle, officers located an ammunition belt with four rifle magazines, approximately 101 rounds of rifle ammunition, 12 bindles of heroin, digital scales, and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia. Officers also located approximately 38 grams of methamphetamine in the defendant’s pocket.

At the time of the offense, Nixon was on supervised release for a 2019 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.