CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Acting U.S. Attorney William T. Stetzer announced that Carnell Charles Caple Jr., 32, of Wadesboro, N.C., was sentenced yesterday to 76 months in prison and three years of supervised release on federal drug and gun charges.
Robert R. Wells, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Charlotte, and Chief Thedis Spencer of the Wadesboro Police Department join Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, on November 12, 2020, a Wadesboro Police Department detective conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle in which Caple was riding as a passenger. Over the course of the traffic stop, the officer asked the driver of the vehicle to step outside and instructed Caper to remain in the car. Caple did not comply and instead attempted to flee on foot. Law enforcement at the scene observed Caple discard a black bag while he ran with a firearm in his hand. Shortly thereafter, Caple tripped and fell and was placed under arrest.
According to court records, officers recovered Caple’s firearm, which was loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition and one additional round in the chamber. Law enforcement later determined that the firearm was stolen. Law enforcement also recovered Caple’s black bag, in which they found narcotics, drug paraphernalia, and another magazine loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition. Court records show that at the time of the offense Caple was on supervised release for a previous federal offense.
On July 22, 2021, Caple pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Stetzer thanked the FBI and the Wadesboro Police Department for their investigation of the case. Assistant United States Attorney Regina Pack, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, prosecuted the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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