DOJ News Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Lee’s Summit Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery of Cell Phone Store

Faces 14 Years in Prison

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Lee’s Summit, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to the armed robbery of a T-Mobile store in Kansas City, Mo.

Derrick C. Davis, 22, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of robbery and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. Co-defendant Vondell D. Walton, 21, of Grandview, Mo., pleaded guilty on Dec. 6, 2021, to the armed robbery of a T-Mobile store in Raymore, Mo., and awaits sentencing.

By pleading guilty today, Davis admitted that he robbed the T-Mobile store at 819 N.W. Barry Road in Kansas City, Mo., on March 8, 2019. Davis and another suspect entered the store at approximately 9 p.m. as it was closing. Both men wore masks, gloves, and hoodies, and were armed with handguns. Davis pointed a black handgun at an employee’s head. They grabbed a plastic bin and stole several iPhones and iPads from a back room, including one that contained a GPS tracking device.

When Davis fled from the business in a 2015 BMW X1 hatchback, the tracking device activated and started to transmit GPS locations for the device. Police officers followed the locations and found the BMW in the area of Gregory Boulevard and Raytown Road. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle using their emergency lights and sirens; however, the vehicle refused to stop and officers pursued the vehicle. During the pursuit, the suspects threw a camouflage bag out of the vehicle near 90th Street and Raytown Road. Officer used stop sticks on the vehicle in the area of Bannister Road and Raytown Road, however, they lost sight of the vehicle shortly after that. Officers found the camouflage bag in the area of 90th Street and Raytown Road; the bag contained the stolen iPhones, an iPad, a tracking device, and a black Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun.

A short time later, the BMW was found, partially burned, in Grandview, Mo. The vehicle appeared to have been intentionally set on fire. The fire was extinguished, and the vehicle was towed. Officers later found Walton’s driver’s license inside the vehicle, which was registered to Davis’s mother.

Just after midnight, Kansas City police officers were driving by the location where the camouflage bag had been found. Davis and another individual were walking on the shoulder of the roadway with their cell phone flashlights on, apparently looking for something. When officers contacted them, they denied they were looking for anything and were released from the scene.

Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, the government and Davis agree the court should impose a sentence of 14 years in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, and the FBI.