Omar Daquan Ponton is scheduled for trial on August 31, according to a scheduling order filed today by District Judge Louise Wood Flanagan.

The trial, according to the document, is expected to last two days and will be held in New Bern.

Flanagan on Tuesday allowed Ponton to enter a not-guilty plea to federal charges of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

The judge noted in the order that after the court allowed Ponton to withdraw a previous guilty plea, he was arraigned, and then the scheduling order was discussed.

Jury selection is scheduled to commence at 9:30 a.m.

The proceedings on Tuesday came after the Roanoke Rapids man entered a guilty plea on February 10, 2025, before Judge Terrence W. Boyle on the day he was to stand trial for the charge of distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

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

In May, Ponton’s attorney moved to withdraw his guilty plea based on two paths under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Scott Wilkinson, Ponton’s court-appointed attorney, argued that the original plea was not knowingly or voluntarily made due to a series of procedural errors committed by Boyle.

The motion argued that the district court failed to properly advise Ponton of his constitutional and procedural rights.

The defense argued that the combination of mistakes was too material to ignore and should legally serve as a "fair and just reason" to grant the withdrawal, vacate the plea, and reset the matter for a new arraignment and trial.