Men Plead Guilty in 2022 Gun Store Burglary

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By Ciara Perez, News Reporter | iSkyCreations - News & Media (ISC)
Published March 19th, 2024

DANVILLE, Va. – In a significant development last week, two individuals from the Carolinas admitted their involvement in a daring burglary at a Patrick County gun store in 2022. The case, which has drawn considerable attention due to the nature of the crime and the subsequent investigation, was resolved in the U.S. District Court in Roanoke, Virginia.

Bradley Wayne McCraw, 43, from Gaffney, South Carolina, and Justin Darrell Whitaker, 31, from Mooresville, North Carolina, each pled guilty to charges of stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee and aiding and abetting the same. Additionally, they faced charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The pleas mark a pivotal moment in the case, stemming from a burglary that saw the theft of more than a dozen firearms, including shotguns, rifles, and pistols from the Rabbit Ridge Gun Shop and Range.

The burglary, executed in the early hours of a September morning in 2022, involved a stolen truck, a chain, and a brazen method of entry. McCraw and Whitaker attached the chain from the stolen vehicle to the gun store's back door and forcibly yanked it open. Their actions were recorded on surveillance video, showing the masked burglars entering the premises to carry out their theft.

As part of their plea agreements with the government, both McCraw and Whitaker are expected to face prison sentences ranging from 100 to 150 months. This outcome underscores the seriousness with which federal authorities treat crimes involving firearms, especially those that involve the theft from licensed dealers.

The successful resolution of this case is attributed to the collaborative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and several law enforcement agencies, including the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office and the Sheriffs’ Offices of Cherokee County, Spartanburg County in South Carolina, and Cleveland County in North Carolina.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, the Special Agent in Charge of the ATF's Washington Field Division, announced the guilty pleas, highlighting the importance of interagency cooperation in tackling firearm-related crimes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin B. Johnson led the prosecution, representing the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia in this notable case.

For Immediate Release: U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia

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