Fifteen-Year Sentence For Kidnapping/Gun Store Robbery In Michigan

Zac K
by Zac K

One man is facing a 15-year prison sentence and another is awaiting sentencing in Michigan after conviction for a kidnapping/robbery that targeted a sports store, looking to steal pistols.


Crime @ TFB:


Pressure tactics

The case dates back to November 2023, when a manager of Dunham’s Sports in Benton Harbor, Michigan, said he had been kidnapped from his home as part of a firearms heist.

According to the retail manager, he’d been kidnapped outside his home at gunpoint, then blindfolded and handcuffed, then brought to another location. There, the thieves forced him to hand over his keys and tell them how to access the store and the guns inside. They entered the sports store and stole 123 handguns, stuffing them into a pair of Yeti coolers. Investigators said the pistols were worth more than $100,000, and that the handguns were headed for the black market.

That money wasn’t enough for the two co-criminals, though (brothers Dontrell Nance and Darnell Bishop). They also tried to use the manager’s CashApp account, which helped investigators quickly figure out who was behind the theft. They were arrested in late 2023 and all the handguns except one were recovered.


In the aftermath, U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said “Incidents like what happened at Dunham’s Sports are stunning illustrations of crimes that are dumping guns into our neighborhoods and fueling the gun crisis. We are grateful to law enforcement for recovering nearly all the guns.”

Destination: Crowbar Hotel


And now, Dontrell Nance (25 years old) has a 15-year sentence, after pleading guilty. Brother Darnell Bishop (33 years old) will be sentenced this fall after also pleading guilty. Whether that serves as a warning to other crimes remains to be seen, although I am not filled with hope. But what I do believe is this: As crime stats continue to pick up across North America, law-abiding gun owners would do well to consider that while your firearms, or access to firearms, may make you safer—you may also end up a target. Stay aware, in case criminals might be considering you as a way to get their hands on your guns.

Zac K
Zac K

Professional hoser with fudd-ish leanings.

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  • RHT RHT on Jul 31, 2024

    "...worth more than $100,000, and that the handguns were headed for the black market."--probably should have been worded better, but funny and accurate.

  • TheSonOfFundin TheSonOfFundin on Jul 31, 2024

    Kidnapping should be an automatic 25-to-life.

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