Evergreen Reporter

U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Zachary Pegg, 28, of North Fort Myers, to 12 years and 3 months in federal prison for an armed carjacking committed in late 2022. Pegg pleaded guilty on March 27, 2024, to charges of carjacking and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Court records indicate that on December 30, 2022, the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) received an emergency call regarding an armed carjacking at a condominium complex parking garage on First Street in Fort Myers. The victim reported that a masked assailant pointed a firearm at him and demanded his keys, cellphone, and wallet upon exiting his vehicle. The victim complied, and the assailant fled the scene in the stolen vehicle.

Law enforcement officers from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Aviation Unit tracked the stolen vehicle to a residence in North Fort Myers. Pegg was apprehended after a brief foot pursuit with assistance from a police canine. He was identified as the masked assailant and subsequently arrested.

The case was investigated by the Fort Myers Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Simon Eth.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which unites various levels of law enforcement with communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy enhancing PSN with core principles such as fostering community trust and legitimacy, supporting violence-prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.