— press release courtesy U.S. Dept. of Justice and U.S. Attorney Eastern District of NC
GREENVILLE – United States Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. announced that today, GERALD KENNETH McCALOP, 24, of Butner was sentenced in United States District Court today. The charges stem from the July 20, 2017 robbery of the Jewel Shoppe in Plymouth.
Senior United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard sentenced McCALOP TO 85 months in prison for his guilty plea to robbery of a business engaged in interstate commerce, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. McCALOP pled guilty to his participation in the robbery of the Jewel Shoppe, a jewelry store located on Water Street in Plymouth. On July 17, 2017, McCALOP and his co-defendants, Andre Cooper and Michael Leverette, entered the Jewel Shoppe armed with two AR-15 rifles. The defendants held all the victims at gunpoint and one victim was tied up. The owner managed to set off the silent alarm and Plymouth Police Department officers responded within moments. When the officers arrived, the robbers were in the back trying to force their way out of the store. All three were then arrested. In the back of the store, the officers recovered jewelry, $150.00 in cash and two handguns. McCALOP provided a statement to the officers admitting his actions and implicating his co-defendants in the planning of the robbery.
Cooper and Leverette pled guilty in March 2018 to robbery and firearm charges, including felon in possession of firearms. Each are set for sentencing the week of June 12, 2018.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
Investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Plymouth Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney John Bennett is prosecuting the case.
