Ash Grove Felon Roberts Sentenced for Stolen Firearms

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In a grim turn of events for the small town of Ash Grove, Jason B. Roberts, 44, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison without parole today for his brazen crime of illegally possessing ten firearms. Three of these weapons were the chilling spoils from his own neighbor’s home, stolen during a burglary that turned violent.

Roberts pleaded guilty on June 17, 2021, to being a felon in possession of firearms. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool.

The story began unraveling on April 7, 2020, when law enforcement executed a search warrant at Roberts’s residence. They discovered three rifles and a jewelry box containing stolen goods. Roberts confessed to the burglary of his neighbor’s house, and police also found seven additional firearms and approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine.

Roberts has a notorious criminal history, with two prior felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and three prior felony convictions for forgery. His latest conviction adds another to this list: possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was a collaborative effort between the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The sentencing of Roberts is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s initiative to reduce violent crime through comprehensive community-based programs. PSN aims to tackle the root causes of violence by focusing on the most violent offenders while partnering with local organizations for long-term crime reduction.