The final man charged in the armed robbery of the Dollar General store in Dublin last August plead guilty Thursday in Bladen County Superior Court.
Carlton Terrell Smith Jr., 23, was sentended to between 59 months and 83 months in state custody for his part in the robbery that ended on Owen Hill Road after a brief police chase. Under an agreement with the state, Smith plead guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and possession of firearm by a convicted felon.
In a court summary, Smith was the gunman when he and Everett Nyquan Ward robbed the store on Aug. 24, 2015 about 8:45 p.m. Smith held a handgun to the head of the store clerk and demanded the safe be open. The store manager was then forced at gunpoint to open the safe. Smith and Ward left the story with about $1,300 in cash and got into a vehicle driven by Naquan Alphonso Matthews.
During the robbery, a customer in the store called 911. A Bladen County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was on his way home heard the call and was nearby, according to court statements. A customer pointed out to the deputy where the suspects fled. The deputy noticed a vehicle pulling off and gave chase. The chase went along N.C. 87 toward Tar Heel at speeds up to 70 mph. Matthews then turned onto Grimes Road, then Owen Hill Road, where speeds reached 80 mph.
The chase ended when the suspects’ vehicle turned into a mobile home park at the intersection of Owen Hill Road and Robin Drive, according to court statements. The officers were able to use their patrol cars to block the suspects’ vehicle. The three men then fled on foot, but all were captured within an hour.
Ward was sentenced to between 99 and 131 months in custody and Matthews was sentenced to between 13 and 25 months in plea agreements earlier. All of the men are from Elizabethtown.
The money taken during the robbery was recovered.
About Author
