Wilson Man with Two Prior Felony Convictions Sentenced to 19 Years After Armed Robbery of Speedway Gas Station

RALEIGH, N.C. – Antwon Demarco Perry, of Wilson, was sentenced today to 228 months in prison for brandishing a firearm during a robbery.  Perry, 37, pled guilty to the charge on March 16, 2023.

“Violent robberies like this often leave victims traumatized for years, even when no shots are fired,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “This store clerk was just doing her job when she was held at gunpoint and ordered to hand over the cash in the register. The Wilson Police Department is partnering with our office to get dangerous, repeat felons off the streets to make our communities safer.”

“We value our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Wilson Police Chief Scott Biddle. “The arrest and prosecution of chronic, violent offenders like Mr. Perry are vital to making Wilson a safe place to live and raise a family.  This partnership resulted in the conviction and sentencing that will keep Mr. Perry off the streets of Wilson for a long time.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on November 5, 2019, at around 10:30 p.m., officers with the Wilson Police Department responded to an armed robbery call at the Speedway gas station at 1602 Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in Wilson. The store clerk told officers that a masked man wearing a gray-camouflage jacket and light blue gloves pointed a firearm at her and demanded money from the register.  She handed over money from the register, and the robber fled on foot.

The State Crime Lab analyzed matching light blue gloves recovered during the course of the investigation for DNA, and the results came back as a match for Perry.  When investigators approached Perry, he admitted to committing the robbery to repay a drug debt.   

This is Perry’s third federal felony conviction.  In 2004 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, he was convicted of numerous offenses, including armed carjacking and use of a firearm during that crime, and received a 60-month sentence.  Then, in 2012, Perry was convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina of possessing a firearm as a felon and received a 71-month sentence. 

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Wilson Police Department investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake D. Pugh  prosecuted.

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. 5:22-cr-0052-D.

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