Jermond Santa Lowery, Jr., a 29-year-old resident of Charlotte, has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison after brandishing an AR-15 rifle during a robbery at a local Waffle House. The sentencing was announced by Russ Ferguson, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
FBI Special Agent in Charge, Robert M. DeWitt, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Johnny Jennings joined Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
Court proceedings revealed that on October 31, 2023, Lowery entered the Waffle House and proceeded to threaten employees with an AR-15 rifle. As staff attempted to escape, Lowery demanded they return and open the cash register, using threats of violence. After seizing the register, he fled but was apprehended by CMPD officers the following day.
Lowery entered a guilty plea on September 26, 2024, to the charge of brandishing a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. He remains in federal custody awaiting placement by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The investigation was led by the FBI and CMPD, while the prosecution was managed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
