Lenoir man will serve six to nine years in prison

NEWTON, NC (March 24, 2021) — A Lenoir man will serve six to nine years in prison following his conviction for multiple offenses during Caldwell County Superior Court on March 15, 2021.

Aaron Wayne Douglas II, 25, was given an active prison term by the Honorable Robert C. Ervin, Superior Court Judge from Burke County, after he entered guilty pleas to two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon.

The defendant will serve his prison term in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.

Douglas and two co-defendants – Joseph Allen Douglas and Kentrey Marquis Witherspoon – met a male and female victim from Shelby at a Lenoir residence on November 26, 2019. They held the defendants at gunpoint, one inside the home and the other in a vehicle, before driving them to another location, taking a purse, cell phones and car from them.

When the defendants saw law enforcement officers in the area, they left the location. Aaron Douglas and Andrew Douglas were later picked up, but Witherspoon avoided apprehension for several weeks.

On December 19, 2019, Witherspoon opened fire on officers from Hudson Police Department and Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office following a traffic stop and later was killed by U.S. Marshals after barricading himself inside a building, firing more shots at officers and refusing to surrender.

Joseph Douglas is currently serving a prison sentence of 25 to 42 months for second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit armed robbery that will be followed by a period of probation. He pleaded guilty to those offenses in March 2020.

The case was investigated by Bryant Matherly of the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Nolan Hancock prosecuted the matter for the State.