Man gets 30 years in prison for Raleigh robbery spree

Samuel Keith Kerr II, 22, pleaded guilty in December to conspiring to commit Hobbs Act robbery and aiding and abetting the use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. In addition to the prison sentence, he was ordered to repay $1,879 to his victims.

Between July 5 and July 9, three men robbed a Rite Aid Drug Store, the Stop 1 Market, the Lighthouse Food Mart and the Tienda Todo Guerrenrense Mexican Restaurant, authorities said. They wore bandannas over their faces and long-sleeved hooded sweatshirts, and one of the men carried a .380-caliber handgun during the hold-ups, authorities said.

Rapheal Davonne Powell, 24, of Raleigh, and David Michael Wesley Jr., 19, of Knightdale, have both pleaded guilty to the same charges in the robberies and are awaiting sentencing.

“My office continues to be concerned about the extraordinarily high level of armed robberies in Raleigh and in Wake County," U.S. Attorney George Holding said in a statement. "The sentence handed down (in this case) is proof that we are taking this trend  seriously, and we plan to continue working with the Wake County District Attorney, the Raleigh Police Department and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office to reduce these crimes.”