A Whitakers man was sentenced Wednesday to 78 months in prison for bank robbery and robbery of a Family Dollar store, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.  

Christopher Bryan Shingleton, 43, pleaded guilty to robbing the First Bank located in Morehead City on June 6, 2019, and robbing the Family Dollar located in Havelock on June 15, 2019.  During both robberies, Shingleton threatened employees by saying he had a gun and demanded money.  

Shingleton also agreed to pay restitution for two other robberies that he had committed in Jacksonville and Greenville.  In total, Shingleton was ordered to pay $4,910 in restitution.      

G. Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. 

The Wilmington Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Jacksonville Police Department, the Morehead City Police Department, the Havelock Police Department, and the Greenville Police Department  investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parris prosecuted the case with the assistance of the Onslow County District Attorney’s Office, the Craven and Carteret Counties District Attorney’s Office, and the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office.