Jacksonville Man Convicted of Drug and Firearms Offenses

 ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – A federal jury convicted a Jacksonville man yesterday on charges of distributing crack cocaine, possessing with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Robert Lee Henderson, 45, would drive from Jacksonville to New Bern, NC, in order to sell crack cocaine.  After selling crack cocaine to an informant in April 2019, detectives with the New Bern Police Department attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Henderson while he was traveling into town.  Henderson fled, driving through a crowded intersection.  He was arrested a short distance later, after he attempted to flee on foot behind a store.  Nearby, officers located additional amounts of crack cocaine and cocaine belonging to Henderson.  Detectives with the Jacksonville Police Department then executed a search warrant at Henderson’s residence and located four loaded firearms, over 80 grams of cocaine, smaller quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine, and over $36,000 in cash.

Henderson faces a maximum of 70 years in prison when sentenced in September.

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle accepted the verdict. The New Bern Police Department, Jacksonville Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation were involved in investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura S. Howard prosecuted the case.