A New Bern man with gang ties, Nathan Sheptock, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of firearms as a felon. The 24-year-old, connected to the Crip street gang, had previously pled guilty to the charge on August 22, 2024, after being found with illegal weapons, including an AK-style 12-gauge shotgun, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina.
The incident unfurled on August 9, 2023, when North Carolina Probation officers responded to a dispute at Sheptock's residence. Given Sheptock's probation status, the officers were able to search his home and spotted what looked like narcotics. A witness tipped off the police that Sheptock was hiding guns at the property. Subsequently, New Bern Police obtained a search warrant and uncovered the firearms secreted away in the yard, with DNA evidence linking them to Sheptock.
Sheptock's criminal record is not light, marked by multiple convictions for Common Law Robbery after a spate of robberies targeting pizza delivery drivers in 2017. "When violent felons such as Mr. Sheptock possess firearms, they are committing serious federal crimes and endangering our communities, " said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar, in a statement obtained by the Department of Justice.
The case is part of a larger strategy, the New Bern Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP), collaborative work among U.S. Attorney’s Office, New Bern Police Department, as well as other state and federal agencies. Robert M. DeWitt, the FBI Special Agent in Charge, affirmed the FBI's stance, "The FBI will not tolerate violent gang members who break the law and then disregard the restrictions they brought upon themselves as convicted felons," as per the Department of Justice.
Sheptock's sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III, with Investigative work by New Bern PD, the FBI, and NC Probation leading to the prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Aubart and Julie Childress.
