A Fort Myers man recently pleaded guilty to a Papa Johns pizza shop armed robbery.
United States Attorney recently announced that 22-year-old Shadarien Lamarr Ward, of Fort Myers, pleaded guilty to interference with commerce by robbery, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Ward faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
According to court documents, on the evening of September 1, 2024, Ward robbed a pizza shop near downtown Fort Myers at gunpoint, pistol-whipping an employee in the process. After grabbing the cash register drawer and approximately $700 in cash, Ward fled the area on foot.
Though he was hooded and masked during the robbery, Ward was later identified by law enforcement after an extensive review of surveillance cameras in the area that tracked him to a nearby motel.
Ward, a registered sex offender, was wearing a GPS monitor at the time of the robbery as part of his state sex offender probation, which helped law enforcement retrace his steps leading up to and immediately following the robbery. Although he cut off his GPS monitor and absconded from supervision following the robbery, Ward was located and arrested at a North Fort Myers motel soon thereafter.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fort Myers Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
