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Kinston man sentenced to 60 years in prison after shooting of a Lenoir County Sheriff’s Deputy

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published May 8, 2024 at 7:23 AM EDT
U.S. Attorney Michael Easley says Robert Strother shot a neighbor and when he was caught he had a loaded semi-automatic weapon with the safety set to fire.
Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina
U.S. Attorney Michael Easley says Robert Strother shot a neighbor and when he was caught he had a loaded semi-automatic weapon with the safety set to fire.

A Kinston man was sentenced to 60 years in prison after shooting a Lenoir County Sheriff’s Deputy and leading law enforcement on a multi-day man hunt.

While he was on the run, U.S. Attorney Michael Easley says Robert Strother shot a neighbor and when he was caught he had a loaded semi-automatic weapon with the safety set to fire.

Easley said Strother was a, “One-man crime spree – shooting a Lenoir County deputy in the neck with an assault rifle, leading law enforcement on a multi-day manhunt, and carjacking a neighbor at gunpoint before shooting him.”

Strother pled guilty in October to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, carjacking, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence

At the time of the shootings, Strother was on parole for a 2014 conviction for felony assault on a law enforcement officer.
Annette Weston
Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to eastern North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of kiddo cuddling, reading, and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston