Danville Man Pleads Guilty to Sunrise Convenience Store Robbery

ROANOKE, Va. – In a brazen display of violence, Calvin Franklin Hughes, Jr., 38, of Danville, Virginia, pled guilty to committing a Hobbs Act robbery at the Sunrise convenience store in Danville.

On the night of February 15, 2023, Hughes and co-defendant Arshay Treyvant Haley, 19, entered the Sunrise convenience store wearing masks. Haley approached the store clerk and brandished a machete, while Hughes pointed a pistol at the clerk. Hughes made off with approximately $750 from the cash register, and Haley grabbed cigarette cartons off the shelf.

Before fleeing the store with Haley, Hughes fired his pistol into the ceiling, leaving behind a shell casing. Surveillance footage revealed a distinctive tattoo on Hughes’ left hand, which aided in his identification. Days later, officers executed a search warrant at his apartment, where they found a pistol hidden in an HVAC vent and a machete in a closet.

Ballistic analyses confirmed that the pistol found in Hughes’ apartment was the same one he fired in the Sunrise store. The Danville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Drew O. Inman and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Parker Gochenour.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement. Hughes faces up to 20 years in prison for the Hobbs Act robbery charge and a consecutive 5-year sentence for discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.

Co-defendant Arshay Treyvant Haley, 19, also from Danville, previously pled guilty to committing the Hobbs Act robbery. Hughes’ guilty plea brings to a close a violent and brazen crime that left a community on edge.

The case is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of violent crime on our communities. As a nation, we must come together to address the root causes of violence and work towards a safer, more just society for all.

The guilty plea is a significant victory for justice, and we commend the brave men and women who worked tirelessly to bring this case to a close. We will continue to work towards a safer and more just society, one case at a time.