Shots tore through a Lillington home late one August night, leaving bullet holes in walls and a parked car. The call to the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office came on August 25, 2018, reporting gunfire at 1346 Heritage Way — a crime scene that would unravel a felon’s arsenal hidden in plain sight. Inside, deputies found drugs, cash, and three loaded guns, including an AR-15 taped together with dual magazines, sitting on a couch like a warning sign in a war zone.
Tyrese Quintarius Pegues, 19, of Lillington, was tied to the residence through personal paperwork recovered from a bedroom where a .380 caliber handgun — reported stolen — was found with its slide locked back, as if freshly fired. Shell casings outside matched the weapon. On November 27, 2018, Pegues was indicted on one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He pleaded guilty on February 19, 2019, in federal court before Chief U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle.
When arrested on August 28, 2018, Pegues stayed silent — but the next day, he cracked. He admitted firing at a vehicle he believed posed a threat, claiming self-defense after spotting a known individual raise what looked like a gun. He said he ran inside, retrieved the AR-15, and returned to the porch. But he denied any connection to the marijuana, digital scales, or cash — including a $10 bill stored in a jar — scattered through the home.
The investigation, led by the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office, culminated in a federal prosecution under the Eastern District of North Carolina’s Take Back North Carolina Initiative. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Smith handled the case, underscoring the government’s crackdown on violent offenders armed with stolen or illegally held weapons. The AR-15, loaded and ready, was one of three firearms recovered during the search.
On sentencing day, Judge Boyle handed down 27 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence reflects the gravity of a convicted felon openly wielding military-grade firepower in a residential neighborhood. Though Pegues claimed self-defense, the law draws a hard line: felons don’t get to play vigilante with assault rifles.
This case is part of the broader Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, reinvigorated by the DOJ since 2017 to target violent criminals through coordinated federal, state, and local enforcement. In North Carolina, prosecutors and sheriffs are working block by block to dismantle the cycle of gun violence — one conviction at a time. For Tyrese Pegues, the price of that bullet-riddled night was 27 months behind bars and a life now under federal watch.
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Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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