Tarboro Man Sentenced for Robbery and Brandishing a Firearm

NEW BERN, N.C. – A Tarboro man was sentenced on Wednesday to 130 months in prison for robbery and brandishing a firearm during the robbery.  On September 2, 2020, Rashawn Demond Lyons pled guilty to the charges.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Lyons, 26, robbed the Kangaroo Express located on West Raleigh Boulevard in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on October 13, 2019.  Lyons approached the store clerk and produced an AR-15 style rifle from under his coat.  Lyons then pointed the rifle at the store clerk and demanded currency from the cash register.  Lyons fled the store with $300.  Officers were able to apprehend Lyons using the store’s video surveillance recordings and civilian tips.  

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Rocky Mount Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, with assistance of the Nash County District Attorney’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parris  prosecuted the case

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:20-cr-00030-FL.