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Gaston County prosecutor outlines string of armed robberies that terrorized many in 2024
A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty in court this week to a string of armed robberies that took place last summer in Gastonia.
Bishop Jefferson was arrested initially in fall of 2023 in connection with a break-in at a business in Gastonia in which vape cartridges and other merchandise were stolen, Assistant District Attorney Zach Holeve said.
Jefferson confessed to breaking into the business and apologized.
The first robbery took place on June 12, 2024, at Wild Wing Cafe. A restaurant worker was outside smoking a cigarette when he was approached by two people wearing masks and holding guns. They robbed the employee, stealing his iPhone, wallet and car.
On June 18, 2024, Jefferson was arrested after a traffic stop and was found with bags of marijuana and a stolen gun, but he was released from jail.
On July 2, 2024, another robbery took place. Three people were outside a home on Barkley Street in Gastonia when two people wearing masks and armed with guns approached, Holeve said in court. The robbers forced everyone else to the ground, and one of them struck a woman who was there. They stole marijuana and a backpack with money in it, leaving in a silver car.
On July 4, 2024, a man went to a different home on Barkley Street because he thought he was meeting a woman there. When he arrived, he was approached by three people wearing masks and brandishing guns. They forced the man into a car, drove to an ATM and threatened him. He eventually jumped and ran from the vehicle, and the car was later abandoned.
On July 8, 2024, a food delivery driver for Grubhub was approached by three people wearing masks and holding guns, and they stole his car, Holeve said.
Two days later, on July 10, 2024, a man went to a home in Gastonia. He thought he was bringing food to a woman in an arrangement made over Facebook, but when he arrived, he was approached by two masked robbers with guns. They stole his car, phone and necklace.
On July 11, 2024, Jefferson was arrested after a traffic stop. There was a gun and cocaine in the car. Jefferson was wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the robberies, and he was also identified in surveillance footage selling stolen property. Cell phone data also put him at the location of the robberies, Holeve said. He also confessed.
Jefferson's attorney, Larry Hoyle, said that Jefferson "was honorable enough to tell the truth" after his arrest.
Superior Court Judge David Phillips sentenced Jefferson to three consecutive sentences: a one- to two-year sentence, an eight to 19 month sentence, and a five- to seven-year sentence. Ultimately, Jefferson could spend more than a decade in prison.
He spent 347 days in jail awaiting trial.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gastonia man convicted in armed robberies
