North Carolina man sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for armed robbery, shooting

Published 10:16 am Sunday, October 24, 2021

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A Greenville man was sentenced October 21 to 171 months in prison for interference with commerce by robbery and discharging a firearm in connection to a crime of violence, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina. Tyv Vaaron Lemark Jones, 20, pleaded guilty to the charges on July 16, 2021.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Jones and another unidentified individual committed an armed robbery and shooting at the JIA Sweepstakes located in Greenville on January 15, 2020.

“Surveillance video footage from inside the business shows Jones and a masked individual brandishing a revolver and an AK-47 style rifle as they rushed through the front door,” stated the release. “Jones and his associate are seen corralling the customers into a bathroom towards the rear of the business. Jones is then seen shooting through the bathroom door at least once.

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“Video then shows Jones and his associate attempting to break into the business office,” the release continued. “Despite firing multiple rounds through the office door, the door did not open. Jones then broke down the door using his body. At that point, Jones and his associate grabbed the female clerk, who was hiding underneath the office desk, assaulted her, held her at gunpoint and demanded the money. Ultimately, the pair stole approximately $3,000 in U.S. currency and two cellular phones before fleeing the scene. Jones fled to Hampton, Virginia, where he was arrested on January 22, 2020.”

A federal grand jury indicted Jones on February 10, 2021 and he was transferred to federal custody on February 23, 2021.

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 Terrence W. Boyle. The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville Police Department’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Fugitive Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aakash Singh prosecuted.

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