Jalen Xavier Simmons, Armed Robbery, Mississippi 2018

A Jackson man has been sentenced to 7 years in federal prison for a brazen armed robbery at a local Dollar General store.

Jalen Xavier Simmons, 19, of Jackson, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves for robbing a local Dollar General store in Jackson and brandishing a firearm during that crime of violence.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Simmons entered the Dollar General on Briarwood Drive in Jackson on April 6, 2018, carrying a stolen 9mm pistol loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition. He robbed multiple shoppers of their cash and demanded Dollar General employees open the cash register.

Jackson Police officers soon arrived on the scene and Simmons was arrested.

Simmons was charged in a federal indictment on September 29, 2018, with one count of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during the crime of violence. He pled guilty without a plea agreement on December 17, 2018.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jackson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Purdie.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness.

Jalen Xavier Simmons was sentenced to 7 years and one day in federal prison, as well as 4 years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $1,000.00 fine.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdms/pr/jackson-man-sentenced-seven-years-federal-prison-under-project-eject-armed-robbery