Robber, getaway driver, sentenced for string of Norfolk crimes

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Two men have been sentenced in Norfolk for their roles in a series of robberies in 2022.

A Norfolk Circuit Court judge sentenced 27-year-old Alonzo Wilson III and 24-year-old Daniel Carter for a string of robberies at a convenience store and several banks. Wilson was sentenced to 15 years on Oct. 27 for committing the robberies. Carter was sentenced to four years in prison on Nov. 3 for being the getaway driver.

On March 2, 2022, Wilson attempted to rob a clerk at the Dollar General on Chesapeake Boulevard, but was unsuccessful. The clerk was able to provide a description of Wilson to the Norfolk Police Department, along with a description of the getaway car Carter was driving. Wilson brought a gun to the scene, but did not use, surveillance video showed.

The same afternoon, Wilson and Carter drove to a Navy Federal Credit Union branch, where Wilson robbed a patron outside the bank. Wilson demanded money from the victim’s wallet, leading to a scuffle near the entrance of a nearby business. After that business owner called police and assisted the victim to safety inside, Wilson was seen fleeing the scene with Carter. The video showed Wilson was wearing the same clothes as the Dollar General incident.

A few hours after this incident, Wilson and Carter drove to a Chartway Federal Credit Union, where Wilson robbed another patron in the bank’s drive-thru ATM. The victim, in a statement to police, said she withdrew $500 from the ATM and pulled into a parking spot to put her cash and bank card away. Wilson reached through her window, stealing $140 and leaving multiple bruises and scratches on her hand. After this altercation, Wilson and Carter fled the scene.

On March 3, 2022, Carter drove Wilson to a Truist Bank, where he robbed another patron. The victim told police he had just withdrawn $400 from the counter, and was leaving the bank when Wilson held the door open for him. Wilson attempted to take the cash from the victim’s pockets, but this led to an altercation leaving the victim with minor injuries. Wilson managed to grab some of the man’s cash before fleeing.

The Norfolk Police Department (NPD) traced Carter’s red Ford Fusion back to him, and questioned him about his connection to the robberies. Carter confessed to being the driver during each of the robberies, but only knew Wilson as “Jeff.”

Carter showed the NPD an Instagram account connected to “Jeff,” eventually leading them to identifying Wilson.

On April 17, 2022, the Norfolk Emergency Operations Center received a call from a local bail bondsman requesting assistance in apprehending Wilson, who was entering an apartment on Lead Street at the time. When officers arrived at the apartment, they were able to take Wilson into custody and gather evidence left behind at his residence.

Wilson pleaded guilty on July 7, 2023 to two counts of robbery by force and one count each of attempted armed robbery, attempted robbery by threat, and the use of a firearm in the commission of a robbery. Judge Robert B. Rigney accepted his plea with no agreement to Wilson’s sentence.

On Oct. 27, Judge Rigney sentenced Wilson to 18 years in prison, with three years suspended on the condition that he completes three years of uniform good behavior and one year of supervised probation upon his release, have no contact with the victims, and pay restitution.

Carter pleaded guilty on July 24 to two counts of conspiring to commit robbery by force, and to one count each of conspiring to commit armed robbery and conspiring to commit robbery by threat. Judge Everett A. Martin accepted his plea with no agreement to Carter’s sentence.

On Friday, Nov. 3, Judge Martin sentenced Carter to eight years in prison, with four years suspended on the conditions that he complete 15 years of uniform good behavior and an indeterminate period of supervised probation.

“Mr. Wilson’s series of crimes traumatized multiple victims and created a serious risk of violence,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Mr. Wilson’s sentence reflects the gravity of his crimes. While Mr. Carter did his best to make amends for enabling Mr. Wilson’s robberies, he too is responsible for Mr. Wilson’s actions, and he too has been held accountable for the risk of violence he helped create.”

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