A Charlotte man has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison for an armed robbery at a Family Dollar store, according to an announcement from Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Belton Lamont Davis, 44, received a sentence of 117 months in prison and five years of supervised release after being convicted of Hobbs Act Robbery and firearms offenses.
Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Estella Patterson of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
Court documents and statements from the sentencing hearing show that on April 30, 2024, Davis entered the Family Dollar store at 3618 Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte following a dispute involving someone associated with him and the store clerk over a monetary transaction. Davis took out a firearm from his waistband, pointed it at the clerk, and demanded money from the register. The clerk complied with his demands. After taking cash from the register, Davis left the scene in his vehicle.
A witness noted Davis’s license plate number, which was provided by the store clerk to emergency dispatchers. CMPD officers located and stopped Davis’s vehicle soon after. During their search of both Davis and his car, officers found a loaded Smith and Wesson SD40 VE .40 caliber pistol along with cash taken from the store. Authorities noted that Davis had previously been convicted of second degree murder and is legally barred from possessing firearms or ammunition.
On November 26, 2024, Davis pleaded guilty to charges including Hobbs Act Robbery, possession and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to a facility designated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
“In making today’s announcement,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson, “U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the ATF and CMPD for their investigation of the case.”
The prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
