Burlington drug bust leads to child-exposure charge for woman

A Burlington apartment search on Center Avenue ended with a felony child-exposure charge for a 29-year-old woman, after police said they found controlled substances and other evidence tied to illegal drug sales inside the residence.

Burlington police executed the warrant on May 8, 2026, at 608 Center Ave., apartment A, after receiving complaints about drug dealing there. Officers identified the suspect as Imari Shonta Mebane and charged her with maintaining a dwelling for the sale of a controlled substance and felony exposing a child to controlled substances.

Police said Mebane was taken to the Alamance County Jail and held under a $40,000 secured bond. The child-exposure count is the one that pushes the case beyond a routine narcotics arrest, because North Carolina law treats it as a felony when someone knowingly, intentionally or with reckless disregard for human life causes or allows a child under 16 to be exposed to a controlled substance.

State law also raises the stakes if a child ingests the drug or suffers an injury. No injuries were reported in the Burlington case, and police did not say how long the suspected activity had been going on inside the apartment.

The charge also points to a broader public-safety issue in Burlington neighborhoods where drug complaints surface in residential settings. When illegal drugs are alleged to be sold from a home, the case can carry consequences not only in criminal court but also in child welfare concerns if investigators believe a juvenile was present or exposed to the environment.

The Center Avenue arrest comes after a separate Burlington police case on April 29 in the 600 block of Center Avenue that involved suspected drug activity, arrests and a recovered stolen firearm. Taken together, the two incidents suggest the corridor has been under active police scrutiny in recent days, with officers responding to complaints that extend beyond simple possession and into firearms, distribution and household safety.