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WILMINGTON – An Ahoskie man will spend the next seven-plus years in federal prison.

In U.S. District Court here Tuesday, Trevon Montez Freeman, age 21, was sentenced to 90 months in prison for interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during an armed heist of a convenience store in Winton. Freeman pled guilty to the charges on Feb. 11, 2025.

“Commercial armed robbery not only endangers the lives of victims and bystanders but tears at the fabric of our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. “This result reflects our commitment to holding violent offenders accountable and providing some justice to the victim in this case.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on Nov. 26, 2023, just before 10 p.m., Hertford County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Winton Deli on South Main Street in Winton. The clerk, who was shaking and in tears upon the arrival of the deputies, explained that she and her nephew had been closing the store when a black male ran into the store and aimed a tan handgun at them.

The robber, who was wearing a black ski mask, Air Force 1 shoes, and a black hoodie, ordered the clerk to the register at gunpoint. He took bills and change, later determined to be $257, from the register and left the store.

Deputies attempted a K-9 track, which led to a parking lot where fresh tire marks indicate a car had sped away.

Surveillance video confirmed that the robber brandished a tan handgun with a light attached under the barrel. He could be heard speaking on the video, and a deputy recognized the voice as belonging to the defendant, Trevon Freeman.

At that point, deputies began to patrol around Freeman’s house and just after midnight made a traffic stop on his vehicle for a speeding violation. Freeman was wearing a black jacket and Air Force 1 shoes. There was a black ski mask sat beside him in the passenger seat. Deputies found a roll of bills and hundreds of coins, totaling nearly $200.

“The professionalism, dedication, and commitment shown by our team reflect our ongoing mission to protect the citizens and businesses of Hertford County,” said Hertford County Sheriff Dexter Hayes. “We remain steadfast in our pledge that anyone who chooses to commit a crime in our county will be held accountable. We will not tolerate those who threaten the safety of our community.”

The Hertford County Sheriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake D. Pugh and Phil Aubart prosecuted the count case, which was presided over by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II.