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Press Release

Indian Trail Man Is Sentenced To 13.5 Years In Prison For Robbing A Family Dollar Store At Gun Point

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. ordered James Arden Alexander, 33, of Indian Trail, N.C., to serve 162 months in prison and two years of supervised release for robbing a Family Dollar store, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Alexander’s co-defendant, Gerran McClure, 33, of Charlotte, was previously sentenced to four years in prison and two years of supervised release.

Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement. 

According to court documents and today’s sentencing hearing, on December 16, 2019, at approximately 5:15 p.m., Alexander entered the Family Dollar store located at 6716 Nations Ford Road in Charlotte. Upon entering, Alexander pointed a firearm at two customers and the store’s cashier and ordered them to get on the ground. Court records show that the victims complied and Alexander went behind the counter. He then pointed his firearm at the cashier and forced her to stand up and open the register. Alexander took cash out of the register and the store’s safe and fled the scene. Shortly thereafter, CMPD officers located Alexander and McClure in a vehicle and attempted to stop them. McClure and Alexander ignored the officers, drove recklessly, and fled into South Carolina. The South Carolina Highway Patrol continued to attempt to pull over the getaway car, and eventually were successful in stopping the vehicle on Interstate 77. Both defendants were arrested at the scene. CMPD officers recovered from the vehicle the cash taken from the Family Dollar store, a loaded firearm, and additional firearm magazines.

On April 12, 2021, Alexander pleaded guilty to robbery of a business affecting interstate commerce, or “Hobbs Act” robbery. McClure pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the Hobbs Act robbery.

Alexander is currently in federal custody and will be transferred into the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. 

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and CMPD for their investigation of this case and the South Carolina Highway Patrol for their assistance in this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Spaugh and David Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

 

Updated February 17, 2022

Topic
Violent Crime