Cobb County Drug Store Robber Gets 32 Years

ATLANTA – Dave Montonio Sturgis, Jr., is headed to federal prison for three decades after being convicted of a string of brazen drug store robberies in Cobb County, Georgia. Sturgis, 32, received a 32-year sentence for the June 2015 heists. His accomplice, Lloyd Nathaniel Joyner, a/k/a Zulu, a/k/a Zu, is already well into a 40-year sentence handed down in January 2017 for these robberies, plus three additional counts in Atlanta and Cobb County.

The pair, along with co-defendant Joseph Stowers (who pleaded guilty), targeted CVS and Walgreens locations in Marietta, Smyrna, and Atlanta. The crew operated with chilling efficiency, storming the stores near closing time – or after midnight for 24-hour locations – clad in black hooded sweatshirts and masks, wielding semiautomatic pistols. Employees were rounded up, forced to the floor, and managers were coerced into opening safes. Wallets and cell phones were also snatched before the robbers fled with the cash.

“This crew had little regard for the lives of the employees they robbed, and no fear of being caught,” stated U.S. Attorney John Horn. The break in the case came thanks to a sharp-eyed detective with the Lawrenceville Police Department, who noticed the similarities between the robberies and initiated the multi-agency task force that eventually brought the perpetrators to justice. The FBI quickly joined the effort, recognizing the escalating violence and the need for a coordinated response.

Evidence presented at the six-day trial in September 2016 included damning videos of Sturgis, Joyner, and Stowers flaunting large stacks of cash and firearms following the robberies. The FBI’s Atlanta Field Office emphasized the importance of inter-agency collaboration in tackling violent crime. “The sentencing of Dave Sturgis, Jr. highlights the intensive joint investigation addressing a string of violent commercial robberies within the metro Atlanta area,” said Special Agent in Charge David J. LeValley.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation also lauded the collaborative effort. “This conviction illustrates the great work of law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting armed robberies in Georgia,” said Director Vernon Keenan. Lawrenceville Police Chief Randy Johnson specifically praised Detective Justin Hipps for recognizing the pattern and initiating the information-sharing process that led to the arrests. “Criminals do not recognize jurisdictional limits,” Johnson stated, “and neither should we.”

With both Sturgis and Joyner behind bars for lengthy sentences, authorities hope the message is clear: violent criminals who terrorize communities will be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice. The joint investigation serves as a model for effective law enforcement cooperation in the fight against violent crime throughout Georgia.