RALEIGH — Two Robeson County men were sentenced Friday to about 10 years each in prison for an armed robbery of a Fayetteville gas station last year.
Chief U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced Daniel Thompson, 22, of Fairmont, to nine years and four months in prison and Elijah Mitchell, 24, of Lumberton, to 10 years and five months, according to U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon Jr.
According to a release by the U.S. Department of Justice, Thompson and Mitchell were named in a two-count indictment on March 6. The first of the two-count indictment was interference with commerce by means of robbery and aiding and abetting, and the second count charged both men with brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and aiding and abetting.
Both men pleaded guilty to both counts.
At about 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 9, 2018, Thompson and Mitchell entered a Murphy USA gas station in Fayetteville, according to information from Higdon. Thompson approached the store clerk and displayed a firearm while demanding money from the cash register.
Mitchell then jumped over the counter and stood by the clerk as she removed money from the cash registers. In addition to the money, cartons of cigarettes and other tobacco products were stolen.
Surveillance video captured the robbery, and law enforcement disseminated still shots of the robbery, which ultimately led to identification and arrest of Thompson and Mitchell.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Since 2017 the United States Department of Justice has reinvigorated the PSN program and has targeted violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Assistant United States Attorney Chad E. Rhoades prosecuted the case for the government.
