Circle K Robber Gets 116 Months

A brazen heist at a Wilmington Circle K gas station ended in a chaotic crash at an elementary school, leading to a 116-month prison sentence for the mastermind behind the crime.

On the morning of August 18, 2019, Cory Montan Dixon, 40, and his accomplice, Ronald Lee Croll, donned masks and stormed the Circle K on Gordon Road in Wilmington. Croll brandished a BB gun, pointing it at the head of the clerk and demanding cash.

After the clerk handed over the cash drawer, the two men took the clerk’s car and fled with the loot, leading New Hanover County Sheriff’s Deputies on a high-speed chase through a residential neighborhood. The vehicle eventually crashed into a basketball hoop at Blair Elementary School, sending the pair fleeing on foot.

Dixon and Croll were apprehended, and a search of the vehicle and their flight path yielded zip ties, cash, the BB gun, cigarettes, the cash drawer, and clothing worn during the robbery.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced the sentence, which was handed down by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, with the Wilmington Police Department assisting in the response.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and making communities safer. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina implements the PSN Program through its Take Back North Carolina Initiative.

Dixon’s accomplice, Ronald Lee Croll, was sentenced earlier this year. 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. 7:19-CR-00092-FL.