Sandra J. Hairston United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of North Carolina
A Hope Mills resident, Jeremy Shane Gentry, Jr., has been sentenced to ten years in prison following his guilty plea to a firearm possession charge. The sentence was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Catherine C. Eagles in Greensboro. Gentry, aged 30, will also serve three years of post-release supervision.
The charges stem from an incident on January 14, 2022, involving Lee County deputies. Deputies Thomas, Amezquita, and Holmes responded to a report of an armed individual on Post Office Road in Sanford. Upon arrival, they encountered Gentry, who matched the suspect's description. When they attempted to pat him down, Gentry resisted, armed himself with a Sig Sauer .45 caliber handgun, and fired at the deputies. Deputy Holmes was hit, but the bullet was stopped by his vest. Gentry attempted to shoot himself, but the gun malfunctioned. He was subsequently detained.
An evidentiary hearing determined that Gentry intended to kill one or more deputies, and related charges in Lee County remain pending. At the time of the incident, Gentry was prohibited from owning a firearm due to past felony convictions. In 2018, he was found guilty of human trafficking and promoting prostitution in Cumberland County.
Gentry's guilty plea to the firearm possession charge occurred on December 6, 2024. The case was investigated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by former and current MDNC Assistant United States Attorneys Tanner L. Kroeger and Tracy M. Williams-Durham.
Randall S. Galyon, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, made the sentencing announcement.
