Man gets sixty years in prison for Zaxby’s armed robbery, kidnapping

MONCKS CORNER, S.C.–According to Solicitor Scarlett Wilson’s office, 26-year-old Donte Brown will be spending quite a bit of time behind bars.

After a nearly week long trial, a jury convicted the young man of three counts of armed robbery, five counts of kidnapping, burglary 2nd degree, and criminal conspiracy.

Authorities say that shortly after midnight on December 24, 2011, two masked individuals, one armed with a butcher knife and the other with a handgun, forced their way into the back door of the Goose Creek Zaxby’s restaurant.

Police say they forced four employees to the ground before taking approximately $3,700 from the manager’s office. They also took cell phones and wallets from some employees. While the manager lied on the ground, one of the assailants shot her in the back of the upper leg. The assailants then fled through the woods before crossing the street into a nearby neighborhood.

Officers with the Goose Creek Police Department responded quickly and were able to track the two men through the woods. With assistance from a Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit, the track led to both a ski mask and two small denomination bills that were taken from the Zaxby’s. The ski mask was sent for DNA analysis, which led police to the co-defendant, Christopher Wilson.

During a search of Wilson’s home, Brown was found in the residence. Police also found the gun that was used in the incident, as well as personal property of one of the victims. A sample of Brown’s DNA was recovered from the handle of the gun. Several witnesses testified about statements Brown made to them implicating himself as being one of the masked assailants.

Judge Roger Young sentenced Brown to 60 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. He must serve eighty-five percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole. Brown was represented by attorney Debra K. Littlejohn.

The co-defendant, Christopher Wilson, pled guilty to similar charges in December 2013. Wilson was sentenced by Judge Kristi Harrington to a similar term of 60 years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Assistant Solicitors Colleen Taylor and E. Mason West prosecuted the case on behalf of the Ninth Judicial Circuit.