Man gets 15 years in prison for gun store robberies
Federal and local authorities have offered a reward for information leading to an arrest in connection with a recent break-in at and theft from a Duplin County gun dealer.
Posted — Updated
Ahkeem Donte Pratt pleaded guilty in November to conspiracy, theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and interstate transportation of stolen firearms.
Pratt and two other men burglarized several gun shops across central and eastern North Carolina between August and December 2014, stealing almost 200 firearms, authorities said. They used bolt cutters and hammers to break in, and investigators were able to obtain DNA from one of the tools left at the scene of a robbery to link the men to the crimes.
The three men drove to New Jersey twice and sold the stolen weapons, some of which were later recovered from crime scenes in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, authorities said. The stolen guns were linked to various violent crimes, including rape, a robbery and a murder.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
