Wilmington man sentenced to up to nearly 9 years after armed standoff, drug convictions

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man involved in a violent armed standoff with police in 2025 has been sentenced to between 6.4 and 8.75 years in prison after pleading no contest to multiple charges, including firearm and drug offenses.

According to the New Hanover County District Attorney’s Office, David Laudell Jacobs was sentenced Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Kent Harrell after entering a no contest plea agreement.

The charges stem from a 3½-hour standoff at Jacobs’ Whitner Drive home on April 17, 2025. Police responded to the residence around 3 a.m. after a caller reported hearing gunshots.

When officers arrived and attempted to communicate with Jacobs, investigators said he fired multiple rounds from the second floor of the home into the floor below. Officers moved to a safer location as tactical units and a SWAT team responded.

Neighbors were evacuated while law enforcement negotiators attempted to convince Jacobs to surrender. Despite the use of gas canisters and continued efforts to resolve the situation peacefully, authorities said Jacobs refused to comply and fired additional rounds inside the residence.

At approximately 6:20 a.m., Jacobs exited the home armed with a rifle. Officials said he placed the rifle against a nearby wall but did not follow officers’ commands. After officers deployed non-lethal rounds in an attempt to gain compliance, investigators said Jacobs reached for the rifle, prompting officers to shoot him multiple times.

Officers provided medical aid at the scene before EMS personnel were able to safely enter and transport Jacobs to a hospital.

A subsequent search of the residence found multiple firearms, including the rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun, as well as cocaine, illegal anabolic steroids, syringes, vials, plastic bags and other drug paraphernalia. Investigators also documented damage inside the home caused by gunfire.

At the time of the standoff, Jacobs was already awaiting trial in a separate case involving allegations that he possessed steroid-related substances with the intent to sell or deliver.

As part of the plea agreement, Jacobs also pleaded no contest to charges connected to his 2023 arrest. That investigation began after federal authorities intercepted packages from China addressed to Jacobs containing illegal steroid-related substances. Investigators in Wilmington later arrested Jacobs after he retrieved some of the contraband from a local office supply store.

Jacobs additionally pleaded no contest to being a Habitual Felon, a status that enhanced his sentence due to multiple prior felony drug convictions.

His convictions include:

• Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
• Four counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance
• Manufacturing a Schedule III controlled substance
• Possession of cocaine
• Habitual felon status

Under the plea agreement, Judge Harrell sentenced Jacobs to 77 to 105 months in prison, or approximately 6.4 to 8.75 years.