Jacksonville Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Drug and Firearms Offenses

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Jacksonville man was sentenced today to 144 months in prison for distributing crack cocaine, possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, and possession of a firearm by a felon.  On June 14, 2021, Robert Lee Henderson was convicted by a jury of those charges.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Robert Lee Henderson, 45, would drive from Jacksonville to New Bern, NC, in order to sell crack cocaine.  After selling crack cocaine to an informant in April 2019, detectives with the New Bern Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Henderson while he was traveling into town.  Henderson fled, driving through a crowded intersection.  He was arrested a short distance later, after he attempted to flee on foot behind a store.  Nearby, officers located additional amounts of crack cocaine and cocaine belonging to Henderson.  Detectives with the Jacksonville Police Department then executed a search warrant at Henderson’s residence and located four loaded firearms, over 80 grams of cocaine, smaller quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine, and over $36,000 in cash.

Henderson had previously been convicted in 2007 in federal court for possessing a firearm as a felon.  He also has repeated convictions in North Carolina for drug possession, assault, and accessory after the fact to second degree murder.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The New Bern Police Department, Jacksonville Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation were involved in investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura S. Howard prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:20-CR-107-BO.