A Rocky Mount man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for a string of convenience store robberies that targeted businesses in Nash and Edgecombe counties in 2024.

According to the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, 35-year-old Trimaine Williams was sentenced July 21 after pleading guilty.

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Investigators said Williams robbed multiple convenience stores on March 20, 2024, threatening employees while demanding money from cash registers. In several of the robberies, authorities said he led victims to believe he was armed by keeping a hand inside his coat.

The robberies targeted the following businesses:

  • EP Mart on East Raleigh Boulevard in Rocky Mount
    • Speedway on Bethlehem Road in Rocky Mount
      • EP Mart on South Wesleyan Boulevard in Rocky Mount
        • Dollar General on N.C. Highway 97 in Rocky Mount
          • Bi-Rite Market on Mill Branch Road in Sharpsburg

            Investigators determined Williams was wearing a GPS electronic monitoring device through North Carolina Probation and Parole at the time of the robberies. According to the sheriff’s office, GPS data placed him at each of the robbery locations during the times the crimes occurred.

            Law enforcement officers from the Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Rocky Mount Police Department and Sharpsburg Police Department later found Williams at a home on Paul Court in Rocky Mount. Authorities said Williams refused to come outside and attempted to leave through the back of the home before he was taken into custody.

            Officials said Williams later admitted to committing the robberies. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives presented the case to a federal grand jury in November 2024, leading to the federal prosecution.

            Williams was on parole for a previous armed robbery conviction when the robberies occurred, according to the sheriff’s office.

            “This outcome would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work by all agencies involved,” Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said in a statement. “Their teamwork and effective communication resulted in a violent career offender being removed from the streets of our communities.”