Cedrick Jermaine Williams, Theft of Firearms, North Carolina 2016

NEW BERN, NC – A Clayton man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the theft of five firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer.

Cedrick Jermaine Williams, 24, was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release by United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan.

Williams was charged in a four-count superseding indictment on August 2, 2018, and pleaded guilty to the theft of firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer on February 15, 2018.

The theft occurred on November 23, 2016, when Williams broke into Trigger Happy Guns and Accessories in Clayton, breaking the glass panes in the front door and then using a cinderblock to break another glass window to gain access to the firearms room. He stole five .223 caliber assault-type rifles with 30-round magazines attached and exited the business with the rifles.

Williams was later stopped by the Raleigh Police Department on December 21, 2016, for a headlight violation and fled on foot before being apprehended. A search of his person revealed an unloaded .25 caliber handgun, and the vehicle he was driving had been stolen with fictitious tags attached.

The investigation into the case was conducted by the Clayton Police Department, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, the Raleigh Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Peggah Wilson handled the prosecution of the case for the government.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together law enforcement and the community to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Williams’ sentence is a result of his involvement in the theft and possession of five semiautomatic firearms with high-capacity magazines, as well as the possession of one handgun and the trafficking of firearms.

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