A Wilmington man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for stealing firearms.
Chief U.S. District Judge James C. Dever sentenced William Jenkins, 25, to 137 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office Spokesman Don Connelly.
Jenkins was indicted April 24, 2011, on charges of possession of a firearm by a felon and theft of firearms from a federal firearms license. He pleaded guilty to all charges July 2, Connelly said.
Jenkins broke into a locked trailer behind Rocky Point Guns and Ammo in Pender County and stole 27 firearms from the business on Oct. 26, 2011, Connelly said. Jenkins then took the stolen firearms back to his home and hid them in his backyard.
On Nov. 2, 2011, Jenkins attempted to conduct another crime at the same store in Rocky Point. He was caught while parked near the store by deputies with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office.
“Several of the guns have been recovered in various investigations by the Wilmington Police Department,” Connelly said.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Pender County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
