A Sharpsburg man charged in a 24-count indictment linked to a 2019 robbery spree which included a store in Roanoke Rapids pleaded not guilty to all counts lodged against him today in Raleigh.
Notations in the federal case record of Jequayves Demondre Britt show that a written order by District Judge James C. Dever III will follow.
Britt was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service following his arraignment. A trial date has not yet been set.
Available court records in the case show that Britt is competent to stand trial.
His accomplice, Jacob Austin Evans of Gates, took a plea in December to two counts associated with the July 12, 2019, robbery of the Kangaroo Express on Sunset Avenue in Rocky Mount and awaits sentencing on September 13.
Evans had written a letter to Dever asking for leniency in his sentence. Others also wrote character letters on his behalf.
The indictments against Britt reflect 12 counts of armed robbery and 12 counts of use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
In all, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina said at the time, the indictments charge the men robbed or attempted to rob 12 separate businesses in Nash, Wilson, Halifax, Edgecombe, Pitt, and Greene counties in July of 2019.
Rocky Mount, Wilson, Roanoke Rapids, Greenville, Sharpsburg and Pine Tops police departments, the Wilson and Greene county sheriff’s offices, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigations in this matter.
The Roanoke Rapids robbery occurred around 9:30 the evening of July 16, 2019, police said at the time.
A person entered the store wearing a mask and showed a weapon. An undisclosed amount of money was taken. There were no injuries.
The robber fled the store on foot and a canine track indicated the person traveled north toward the apartment complex behind the business.
Besides the Roanoke Rapids robbery, Britt faces charges reflecting the following heists:
Snow Hill Speedway on July 21
Greenville Sheetz on July 21
Greenville Circle K on July 21
Pine Tops Dollar General on July 18
Sharpsburg Dollar General on July 18
Rocky Mount Kangaroo Express on July 16
Rocky Mount Speedway on July 14
Wilson City Gas and Convenience Store on July 14
Wilson S&J Mart on July 14
Rocky Mount Fuel Doc on July 12
Rocky Mount Kangaroo Express on July 12