A Riegelwood man who was charged with armed robbery of the Butters Quick Shop last year was sentenced Tuesday in Bladen County Superior Court under a plea agreement with the state.
Gerrod Basil Ellison, 25, was sentenced to conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a stolen firearm. He was sentenced to 25 to 51 months in custody, which was reduced to six months in custody, which he has already served, and 36 months supervised probation and ordered to not go on the property of Butters Quick Stop nor have any contact with Robert Anthony Davis, who also was charged in the robbery.
In a court summary and information from the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office, Ellison was the man who entered the store armed with a handgun about 7:30 p.m. on July 11, 2015, while Davis, who is from Bladenboro, waited outside in a vehicle. Ellison took two packs of cigarettes and $217 in cash before getting back in the vehicle.
The store clerk reported the robbery and was able to give a detailed description of Ellison and the car that Davis was driving. Officers were able to run the license tag number. About an hour later, the vehicle was spotted at gas pumps at Handee Hugo’s in Bladenboro. Ellison, Davis were arrested. Two passengers in the vehicle were not charged after it was determined they did not know about the robbery. The firearm used in the robbery was found to be stolen.
During the sentencing, Ellison’s lawyer, Cindy Singletary, told the court that Ellison had been drinking and “bad judgement got in the way. He had a job before this and he’s hoping to get his job back,” Singletary said.
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