Serial Armed Robber Gets 49 Years In Prison

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Prosecutors in the office of U.S. attorney Adair Ford Boroughs announced that a serial armed robber from the Midlands region of South Carolina had been sentenced to nearly half a century behind bars.

Deveon Antonio Belk, 37, of Irmo, S.C. was sentenced to 49 years in prison this week by U.S. district court judge Mary Geiger Lewis. He was also ordered to pay nearly $3,000 in restitution to his victims. There is no parole in the federal system.

Last fall, Belk was convicted by a federal jury on fifteen counts: Seven counts of armed robbery, seven counts of brandishing a firearm in the commission of a crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a weapon.

According to a release the U.S. attorney’s office, “evidence presented to the court showed that in November of 2020, Belk began a spree of armed robberies across Richland and Lexington counties.”

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“The targets included gas stations, fast food restaurants, and drug stores,” the release continued. “Belk would enter the store and often pretend as if he were going to purchase an item. When the cashier would open the cash register to finish his transaction, instead of paying, Belk would brandish a firearm and demand money. Belk would use physical force, including pressing the end of a handgun into his victims, and he would force them into locked rooms at their businesses. He also cocked the firearm at several victims, held his finger on the trigger during one robbery, and some victims reported believing they were going to be shot.”

Belk has thirteen prior convictions on his record, including strong armed robbery, in a case that involved the theft of a vehicle and money while armed with a firearm; multiple criminal domestic violence convictions, including one involving physical violence against a woman while she was holding a child; grand larceny; failure to stop for police; and drug possession. 

“Dozens of people at businesses across the Midlands waited in fear wondering if they would be the next target of Belk’s armed robbery spree,” Boroughs said in a statement. “Thanks to the relentless work of multiple law enforcement agencies, he will spend almost 50 years in federal prison.”

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“Belk’s violent crimes profoundly impacted the safety of our communities and caused long-lasting fear for his victims,” special agent Steve Jensen of the FBI stated. “This outcome underscores the FBI’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and taking violent offenders of the street.”

“This sentencing is the result of law enforcement collaboration that ensures Deveon Belk will face federal consequences and can no longer commit additional crimes,” said Columbia police chief Skip Holbrook.

“The resolution of this case is the direct result of strong relationships between multiple law enforcement agencies and prosecutors. This convicted robber is off the streets because we shared information and worked together to investigate at multiple offenses,” Lexington County sheriff Jay Koon said. “Our community is safer thanks to a spirit cooperation at the local and federal level.”

This is a breaking news story based on the latest information available. Stay with FITSNews for updates …

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

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