Lexington Man Convicted in Armed Robbery

United States Attorney Scott F. Leary announced today that Carleone Pate, Jr., 21,
of Lexington, Holmes County, Mississippi was convicted of Hobbs Act Robbery and Use of a
Firearm in the Commission of a Violent Crime. Pate had recently been released from the Mississippi
Department of Corrections after serving a three-year prison sentence for two aggravated assault
convictions committed in August 2022 in DeSoto County. He was on bail at the time of the robbery
for which he stood trial.
According to court documents, on the morning of January 19, 2023, in the small Black Hawk
community of Carroll County, Mississippi, a masked gunman entered the Dollar General located at
the intersection of Highways 430 and 17 and demanded the money from the cash register and safe.
The swift response from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office led to the search and eventual arrest of
the defendant. He was found guilty on both counts in addition to the jury finding that he brandished
the firearm during the robbery. He will be sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Debra M.
Brown on a future date.
The evidence presented at trial confirmed that the defendant was successfully identified through the
thorough investigative work of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. The Carroll County Sheriff’s
Office, working with the Mississippi Highway Patrol and surrounding law enforcement agencies
worked diligently to limit the defendant’s escape routes. After perimeter checkpoints were
established, Pate was arrested in the woods of northern Holmes County by an off-duty game warden,
assisted by a maintenance technician with the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
U.S. Attorney Leary stated, “This case would not have been possible absent the professional work
of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Mississippi Highway Patrol and fellow law enforcement
agencies. Federal involvement was part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative
that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to work with state and local law
enforcement to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. The United States
Attorney’s Office is honored to work with such brave and professional officers who work tirelessly
to protect our communities. Well done!”