Kameron Watts, 20, of Pleasantville, N.J., was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, including 8 ½ years of parole ineligibility, by Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury Jr. in Atlantic County. The judge further ordered that he be placed on parole for a full five years upon release from prison. Watts pleaded guilty on April 11 to first-degree armed robbery. Watts’ accomplice in the robbery, Deshawn DeWitt, 19, of Willingboro, N.J., pleaded guilty on Feb. 26 to a second-degree charge of strong arm robbery and is pending sentencing. DeWitt failed to appear for sentencing earlier this year and is being sought as a fugitive. DeWitt was a juvenile at the time of the robbery, but his case was waived to adult court.
Deputy Attorney General James Ruberton prosecuted the case and handled the sentencing for the Division of Criminal Justice Specialized Crimes Bureau. The charges were the result of an investigation by the Atlantic City Task Force, which includes the Division of Criminal Justice, New Jersey State Police, Atlantic City Police Department, Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Atlantic County Sheriff’s Office, Pleasantville Police Department, Brigantine Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and New Jersey State Parole Board.
The task force investigation revealed that Watts and DeWitt plotted to hold up a delivery driver and carjack his vehicle. The two defendants phoned an order to Pizza Di Roma to have three pizzas delivered to an address on Wellington Avenue in Pleasantville on the night of Aug. 28, 2014. Watts and DeWitt hid behind trees near the address they had given and waited as the driver parked and approached the house. When nobody answered the door, the driver returned to his car. As the victim approached his vehicle, a 2011 Toyota RAV4, Watts and DeWitt, who had their faces masked, approached him from behind and both pointed guns at him. One of the teens told the driver to give them everything he had. The driver surrendered his cell phone, the pizzas and the keys to his car. Watts and DeWitt then got into the car and drove away. They later abandoned the car at the Pleasantville Recreation Center.
“Watts and DeWitt ambushed their victim with guns on a dark street, creating a situation that was terrifying and dangerously volatile,” said Acting Attorney General Porrino. “We’re committed to fighting this type of gun crime with aggressive prosecutions and stiff prison sentences.”
“The Atlantic City Task Force was formed to make the city and its surrounding communities safer by investigating violent crime and removing dangerous criminals,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “With this sentence, the task force partners have once again fulfilled their mission.”
Acting Attorney General Porrino commended all of the members of the Atlantic City Task Force who worked on the investigation of the armed robbery.
Defense Attorney for Watts: Philip H. Coyle of Collingswood, N.J.
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