ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828NewsNow.com) — A Buncombe County man will spend at least five years in state prison after his guilty plea to armed robbery of a local car wash.
According to a Nov. 5 news release from the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office, Zamar Vaequan Scott, 24, who was on post-release supervision, entered a guilty plea on Nov. 2 in Buncombe County Superior Court to robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The court consolidated the convictions into a single active sentence of 60 to 84 months (five to seven years) in state prison, the release said.
The case highlights North Carolina’s recently enacted legislation under G.S. 14-415.1, which took effect Dec. 1, 2025. While standard possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is a Class G felony, the updated law created aggravated variants designed to penalize firearms carried by previously felons during active crimes, the District Attorney’s Office said in the release.
Under the revisions, standard possession is elevated to a Class F felony if a firearm is possessed during the commission or attempted commission of another felony. Scott’s status as a convicted felon on post-release supervision stems from a 2024 conviction in Buncombe County Superior Court for felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
The District Attorney’s Office said the case arose from an incident in which Scott reportedly robbed a victim at gunpoint at a Buncombe County car wash. The victim remained on scene, contacted law enforcement, and provided responding deputies with a description of the perpetrator and his direction of travel.
Deputies with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office reviewed security camera footage provided by the business owner, enabling investigators to identify Scott as the suspect. A subsequent search located a firearm alongside the clothing Scott wore during the robbery, the release said.