A Charlotte man has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison for robbing a Family Dollar store at gunpoint, according to an announcement from Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Belton Lamont Davis, 44, received a sentence of 117 months in prison and five years of supervised release after being convicted of Hobbs Act Robbery and firearms offenses.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD). Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Estella Patterson of CMPD joined U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.
Court records show that on April 30, 2024, Davis entered the Family Dollar store at 3618 Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte following a dispute between someone associated with him and a store clerk over a monetary transaction. Davis retrieved a firearm from his waistband, pointed it at the clerk, and demanded money from the register. The clerk complied with his demands. After taking the money, Davis left the scene in his vehicle.
A witness noted the vehicle’s license plate number and relayed it to the store clerk who then provided it to emergency services. CMPD officers quickly located and stopped Davis’s vehicle. Upon searching both Davis and his car, officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson SD40 VE .40 caliber pistol as well as cash taken from the robbery. Davis is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to a prior conviction for second degree murder.
On November 26, 2024, Davis pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act Robbery, possession and brandishing of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to a designated facility within the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson expressed gratitude for the investigative work done by ATF and CMPD on this case.
The prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
