Man Sentenced to Nearly 2 Years for Being Felon Possessing Firearm, Shoplifting from Berkley Family Dollar Store
NORFOLK, Va. — Carlos Manuel Vaughn, 20, was sentenced in September to serve one year and 10 months in prison following his guilty pleas to being a felon in possession of a firearm and misdemeanor shoplifting earlier this year.
On May 10, 2025, Mr. Vaughn and another individual shoplifted merchandise from the Family Dollar store on East Berkley Avenue. Staff at the store called Norfolk Police and played for officers the security footage of the theft, showing Mr. Vaughn wearing a red hoodie and carrying a backpack. Shortly afterward, officers saw Mr. Vaughn at Berkley Park wearing the same clothing and approached him. Seeing the police, Mr. Vaughn fled and ran for about a quarter mile until the officers were able to detain him. When the officers searched Mr. Vaughn’s backpack, they found a concealed handgun that belonged to Mr. Vaughn’s mother. Mr. Vaughn had been convicted of an attempted robbery and unlawful injury, both felonies, in 2024 and is prohibited from possessing a firearm.
On Sept. 17, Mr. Vaughn entered into an agreement to plead guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and misdemeanor shoplifting and to be sentenced to serve one year and 10 months in prison with another four years and two months suspended on the conditions that he completes two years of supervised probation and five years of good behavior after his release. That sentence was one month above the high end of Mr. Vaughn’s state sentencing guidelines. Judge Joseph C. Lindsey accepted Mr. Vaughn’s plea agreement, found him guilty, and sentenced Mr. Vaughn per the terms of the agreement.
“Many times, store owners who see shoplifting just let shoplifters walk out of their stores, doing nothing to stop them or identify them and leaving the police no way of making an arrest,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “I am grateful to the staff at the Family Dollar Store in this case for using their cameras, calling the police, and reporting this crime promptly and to the Norfolk Police for following their leads and making a prompt arrest. Without this teamwork, we would not have been able to hold Mr. Vaughn accountable both for stealing and for possessing a gun he should never had had.”
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Shavaughn N. Banks prosecuted Mr. Vaughn’s case, and Norfolk Police Officer David M. Jacob led the investigation.
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