Terry Sherwood Slade, 55, has been sentenced to 188 months in prison with an additional three years of supervised release. This decision comes after his conviction for Hobbs Act robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon, as announced by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. An additional penalty includes serving 12 months and a day for violating his previous supervised release.
Court documents reveal that on November 20, 2023, while under federal supervision for an earlier robbery conviction, Slade entered the House of Clouds Smoke Shop in Charlotte. He requested cigarettes from an employee and upon the cash register being opened, he threatened her and demanded money. He gestured threateningly by placing his hand in his jacket pocket before proceeding behind the counter to steal money and cigarettes.
On December 3, 2023, Slade entered Nick’s Arcade in Charlotte where he approached a security guard and seized her firearm during a brief struggle involving another employee. Armed with the weapon, Slade accessed the arcade’s private office to steal cash from a safe before escaping.
A shooting incident on December 13 led to Slade’s arrest after a victim identified him as the shooter following an argument. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) arrested Slade and found him in possession of the firearm taken during the arcade robbery. Forensic analysis confirmed that a cartridge from the shooting scene matched this weapon.
In September 2024, Slade pleaded guilty to both charges against him. His criminal history includes a prior federal conviction for Hobbs Act robbery and multiple state felony convictions in North Carolina such as Assault With a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to Kill Inflicting Serious Injury and Common Law Robbery. Consequently, he was sentenced as an armed career criminal.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson acknowledged contributions from both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and CMPD in investigating this case while expressing gratitude towards the U.S. Probation Office for their assistance throughout.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
