Courtesy: Hillsborough County Jail
TAMPA, Fla. - Four Tampa men who admitted to carrying out a pair of armed robberies at Hillsborough County convenience stores in 2024 have now been sentenced to prison, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Hillsborough County 7-Eleven armed robberies
The backstory:
According to court documents, the four men conspired in July 2024 to rob two convenience stores in Hillsborough County.
Federal prosecutors said E'barous Harris, 27; Tra-Vontae Watson, 32; and Ronald Brown, 25, entered the stores while Jermaine Dawes, 33, remained outside as the lookout and getaway driver.
Investigators said Watson and Brown carried firearms during the robberies, using the weapons to steal cash from both businesses.
The robberies occurred at two 7-Eleven stores in Hillsborough County, according to court documents.
In the first robbery on July 14, prosecutors said the suspects stole about $550 from a 7-Eleven on South 50th Street near Palm River Road. A customer inside the store was also forced to the ground before having a cellphone and cash stolen.
Two days later, investigators said the group struck another 7-Eleven on West Waters Avenue near North Boulevard, where a clerk was held at gunpoint and pistol-whipped. Authorities said the suspects stole more than $1,400 in cash and over $4,200 worth of merchandise.
Tampa motel surveillance
Dig deeper:
Prosecutors said investigators later tracked the suspects to a motel in Tampa.
Surveillance footage from the motel allegedly showed the four men getting in and out of the vehicle used during the robberies. Investigators also saw a rifle being loaded into the vehicle.
Search warrants at multiple motel rooms connected to the suspects led investigators to recover a rifle that prosecutors said matched the firearm seen in the surveillance footage and used during the robberies.
Prison sentences
The four men previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the robberies. They received the following prison sentences:
- E'barous Harris: 14 years and 7 months
- Ronald Brown: 15 years
- Jermaine Dawes: 14 years and 10 months
- Tra-Vontae Watson: 20 years and 5 months
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the State Attorney's Office and gathered from previous FOX 13 News reporting.