08/31/2026
On Tuesday August 25, 2026, Defendant Jathaniel Polk pleaded guilty to one count of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (class C), one county of PWISD Methamphetamine, one count of Trafficking in Fentanyl, one count of PWISD Fentanyl, and one count of Possession of Firearm by Felon.
On September 13, 2023, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office was called out to an address in the Conrad Farms development in Pfafftown because the Defendant had brandished a firearm and made a threat toward an occupant of his home. Deputies on scene encountered Defendant and asked him to produce the firearm so it could be secured before continuing with their investigation. Accordingly, Defendant led the deputies up to his bedroom in the home, stood in the doorway, but did not consent to Deputies going further into the bedroom. In plain view, Deputies could see a bullet and a gun cleaning rod. Additionally, in Defendant’s vehicle in plain view was another firearm, much larger than what the witness described. Deputies therefore obtained a search warrant for the Defendant’s bedroom and vehicle.
In the Defendant’s bedroom and vehicle, FCSO located seven (7) total fi****ms. The Defendant was a convicted felon and on probation at that time. Deputes further found approximately 2,000 grams of methamphetamine (2 kilograms), approximately 1,900 counterfeit Oxycodone pills, and a suitcase with over $17,000.00 in cash.
The Forsyth County Drug Taskforce was called in, led by Corporal Burns with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department. Through their investigation and lab testing by the NC State Bureau of Investigation, it was discovered that the 1,900 pills did not contain Oxycodone. Instead, the pills contained lethal amounts of fentanyl. “Counterfeit pills containing fentanyl are one of the most dangerous forms of illicit narcotics to our community. With counterfeit pills, the individual user thinks they know what they are buying and have no way to know that the pills contain fentanyl, or how much. Counterfeit pills are not mixed evenly like a pharmaceutical pill. So, a user could get a tolerable amount of fentanyl in one pill and a deadly amount in the next,” said Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill.
Defendant Polk was sentenced to 225-282 months’ imprisonment plus a fine of $500,000.00 by the Honorable Timothy Pennell Broyhill, Resident Superior Court Judge presiding. The State was represented by Jocelyne Riehl and the defendant was represented by Harold Eustache.
