Smash-and-grab robberies of gun stores are becoming far more common than they used to be. From California to Delaware, crooks are stealing cars and then using them to crash into the storefronts of gun dealers before dashing inside to scoop up dozens of firearms that can then be sold on the black market. 

It's a serious problem, but the courts don't always treat it as a serious crime. In Charlotte, North Carolina, for instance, a man accused of participating in a smash-and-grab robbery back in February just walked away with 12 months of probation after he was caught with a stolen firearm taken from the gun store. 

Five people were arrested but the suspect who got probation has staff members upset. “Very disappointed in the judicial system,” said Mike Simpson, the director of training. “They’re just not holding people accountable … Put them in jail. Put them in prison. That’s where they deserve to be.”

[Reginald] Moses was arrested for the crime in Cabarrus County and charged with possession of a stolen firearm. The gun was from Carolina Sporting Arms, police said.

He got probation for that case.

He still faces a slew of charges in Mecklenburg County.

Moses and his co-defendants still face charges related to the break-in itself, so there's a possibility that they will face some prison time if they're convicted or take a plea deal, but I completely understand Simpson's frustration with Moses getting probation for possessing a stolen firearm. 

Under North Carolina law, Moses could have been sentenced to 39 months in the state penitentiary for the Class H felony instead of the slap on the wrist that he received. This wasn't the first time Moses has been in handcuffs either. Last year he and another defendant in the gun store burglary were charged with murder, though prosecutors ultimately dismissed the charges. 

The charges stemmed from a July 8 shooting when Savion Lockhart was killed on Turtle Point Road in Steele Creek. Lockhart had just graduated from South Mecklenburg High School. A week later, [Cori] Meadows and Moses were arrested and charged with murder and attempted robbery.

Court records show that six months after the shooting, in December, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather dropped the charges citing insufficient evidence.

The court dismissal report explains more of the reasoning. According to the narrative, Lockhart’s death was the result of a gunfight.

“Two sets of people met up to hang out and go uptown for the night,” the document reads. “However, one side of the group showed up to rob the other side.” 

According to the records, “several individuals brandished firearms. There were at least two guns involved, and minimum of nine shots fired.”

The document details lengthy, but conflicting testimony from the people involved and explains that there was disagreement over who started the fight and more.

Ultimately, it explains, the district attorney’s office felt they did not have enough evidence to prove that this was not a self-defense case.

To make matters worse, Charlotte is one of the few cities in the country where homicides are on the rise, not falling. As of June 29th there've been 60 murders in the city this year, a 22% increase from 2023. 

The blame for the rise in crime can't be placed solely at the feet of local prosecutors, but when defendants are winding up on probation for what are supposedly serious offenses, it's fair to question what the heck is going on in the criminal justice system. Again, maybe Moses and his co-defendants will have the book thrown at them when their case goes to trial in Mecklenberg County, but I'm not holding my breath. The most likely outcome is another plea deal and another "second chance" for Moses and his alleged accomplices to the smash-and-grab robbery of Carolina Sporting Arms.