A young Jefferson County couple has received federal prison sentences for their botched attempt at robbing a Nederland convenience store, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice. Cole Ethan Schroeder, age 21, has been handed a total sentence of 114 months following his guilty plea to charges under the Hobbs Act for robbery, coupled with the added severity of brandishing a firearm during a violent incident. Carley Melana Fowler, also 21, faces a 63-month tenure in federal confines for her role in the same Hobbs Act robbery.
The incident, which unfolded on September 2, 2024, was caught on the convenience store's surveillance system, depicting the pair, faces obscured by masks, in an aggressive stand-off with an employee. Fowler, toting a bag, strategically placed an object in the doorway, ensuring it wouldn't close, while Schroeder menacingly wielded an AR-style rifle, demanding the attendant fill Fowler’s open bag with cash. It escalated into a physical confrontation, which saw Schroeder striking the clerk multiple times with the rifle, causing injuries. Schroeder and Fowler eventually fled empty-handed; their capture ensued at a nearby RV park, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Their conviction aligns with the greater effort of Operation Take Back America, described by the Department of Justice as a national push harnessing the full capabilities of federal agencies to thwart illegal immigration, dismantle cartels, and protect our communities from violent crime. This initiative binds the collaborative power of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) in a single, focused strategy.
A collaboration of forces, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nederland Police Department, led the investigation into the couple's criminal act and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy Coleman was the prosecutor on record for this case.
