The United States Attorney’s Office said in a motion filed Wednesday that it requests a 30-day extension to file a response to Omar Daquan Ponton’s request to withdraw his guilty plea for distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

District Judge Louise Wood Flanagan signed an order granting the government’s motion today, according to court records.

The motion also requests that Ponton’s sentencing hearing, scheduled for June 18, be continued until the court’s July term.

“The issues raised by the defendant require additional time for the government to investigate and respond properly,” the motion says.

The government and counsel for the Roanoke Rapids man met Tuesday to discuss a proposed resolution. “The proposed resolution requires additional review and approval within the United States Attorney’s Office,” the government said. “The additional extension of time and motion to continue are being made in the interest of justice and judicial economy.”

The motion filed by Scott Wilkinson, Ponton’s attorney, argues that the district court failed to properly advise Ponton of his constitutional and procedural rights.

On February 10, 2025 — the day he was scheduled to stand trial — Ponton entered a guilty plea before Judge Terrence W. Boyle to Count One of a superseding indictment, which charged him with the distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl. In exchange, the government agreed to dismiss a distribution of fentanyl count and a count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

The case was later transferred to Flanagan on August 19, 2025.