Two men from Carolinas charged with robbery of Patrick County gun shop

DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - Two men from the Carolinas have been officially charged with robbing a Federal Firearms Licensee in Ararat, Virginia last year.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia, a federal grand jury in Danville, Virginia returned an indictment for the pair in August.

The office reported the grand jury charged Bradley Wayne McCraw, 43, of Gaffney, South Carolina, and Justin Darrell Whitaker, 30, of Cleveland County, North Carolina, with breaking into the Rabbit Ridge Gun Shop and Range in Ararat, Virginia. Officials say the break in happened early on September 22, 2022, claiming the men stole at least 13 guns from the business.

U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Craig B. Kailimai, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement Monday.

Each of the men has been charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one count of knowingly and intentionally stealing firearms from an Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL), and one count of possession of stolen firearms.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the case with assistance from the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriffs’ Offices in Cherokee County, South Carolina, Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Cleveland County, North Carolina also have assisted with the investigation.