CARTERET COUNTY, NC — Two individuals have been charged in connection to the overdose death of 62-year-old Benny Ray Weeks from Newport, authorities announced. The charges followed an investigation that began on November 7, 2023, after Weeks was found dead in his home on Stargazer Lane.
The Carteret County Sheriff’s Office believes that Weeks died from a drug overdose, with evidence suggesting he had been sold heroin and fentanyl two days prior to his death. Authorities traced the drugs back to Francis Edward Vandevoord, 50, and Jamie Alan Rumsey, 50, both of Newport.
According to the investigation, Vandevoord and Rumsey sold the fatal substances to Weeks on November 5, 2023. Vandevoord is currently being held in the Carteret County Jail on a $55,000 secured bond, while Rumsey is incarcerated at the Onslow County Jail on unrelated charges.
Both men have been charged with multiple felonies related to the sale and delivery of a controlled substance, including:
Francis Edward Vandevoord:
Felony Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Sch. II Controlled Substance (two counts)
Felony Sell and Deliver Sch. II Controlled Substance
Felony Delivery of Sch. II Controlled Substance
Felony Conspire to Sell and Deliver Sch. II Controlled Substance (two counts)
Jamie Alan Rumsey:
Felony Possession with Intent to Sell and Deliver Sch. II Controlled Substance
Felony Sell and Deliver Sch. II Controlled Substance
Felony Conspire to Sell and Deliver Sch. II Controlled Substance (two counts)
Authorities indicated that further charges related to Weeks’ death are pending, awaiting the final autopsy and toxicology report from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. This investigation continues as the community grapples with the tragic consequences of the ongoing opioid crisis.
