Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison After Serving as Getaway Driver in Enfield Convenience Store Robbery

<_w3a_listitem listvalue="RALEIGH" datavalue="RALEIGH"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="GREENVILLE" datavalue="GREENVILLE"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="NEW BERN" datavalue="NEW BERN"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="WILMINGTON" datavalue="WILMINGTON"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="ELIZABETH CITY" datavalue="ELIZABETH CITY">RALEIGH, N.C. - A Halifax County man was sentenced today to seven years in prison for helping to rob a Speedway convenience store on January 31, 2023, in Enfield. On August 9, 2024, Khiyelle Dent pled guilty to one count of interfering with commerce by robbery and aiding and abetting. He also pled to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Dent, age 21, was the getaway driver for an individual who entered the Speedway in Enfield, brandished a firearm, and demanded money from the clerk. The clerk gave cash to the robber, who then returned to the vehicle, and fled the area. Enfield Police Department Officers were able to stop the suspect vehicle shortly after the robbery. They found Dent as well as several items of clothing that matched several robberies that had occurred in the month prior in Halifax County. As police approached Dent's vehicle, his passenger successfully fled on foot.

On February 2, 2023, deputies from the Halifax County Sheriff's Office responded to a Dollar General store located near their office after employees called 911, fearing a robbery was about to occur. The suspect, identified as Dent, entered the store, looked around, and signaled to someone in the parking lot before the deputies arrived. Dent was carrying a cross-body bag, and when officers arrived, one of them frisked him and discovered a firearm. Dent is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by <_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle" datavalue="U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan" datavalue="U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III" datavalue="U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II" datavalue="Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt" datavalue="Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm J. Howard" datavalue="Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm J. Howard">U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Enfield Police Department, the Halifax County Sheriff's Office, the Gaston Police Department, and the ATF investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Aubart prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:23-CR-55-D-RN.