John Smith McCombs IV was convicted by a jury of felony robbery with a dangerous weapon and felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury in Rowan County Criminal Superior Court.
Judge W. Erwin Spainhour sentenced the defendant to an active prison sentence of 6 to 71/2 years in prison.
On Jan. 23, 2010, officers were dispatched in reference to a robbery and shooting of a Pizza Hut delivery driver. The driver said he could not find the address of where the pizza was supposed to be delivered and parked in the area. Two men approached and asked how much the pizza was. One man pointed a small black semi-automatic handgun at the driver and demanded all of his money. The driver refused and started to drive away when he was shot in the leg. Both men ran in the direction of Park Avenue.
Officers later determined McCombs had made the phone call to order the pizza. The delivery driver was able to pick McCombs out of a photo lineup as the person who had committed the robbery and shot him.
District Attorney Brandy Cook commended the investigation by the Salisbury Police Department and Assistant District Attorney Barrett Poppler in bringing McCombs to justice.