Charles Allen Roark Gets 12 Years for Illegal Firearm Possession

Charles Allen Roark, 38, of Jefferson City, Mo., is headed to federal prison for 12 years without parole after being caught with a loaded .40-caliber pistol — a crime made all the worse by his long rap sheet and status as a fugitive from justice at the time of arrest.

On July 18, 2016, a jury convicted Roark of being a felon in possession of a firearm, following a violent foot chase that began when Jefferson City police tried to pull him over for expired license plates. Instead of stopping, Roark sped to the 300 block of Washington Street, abandoned his car, and fled on foot — ditching a loaded Smith and Wesson from his waistband as he ran.

Roark didn’t get far. Officers gave chase, one breaking his ankle during the pursuit. As Roark scaled a fence, an officer tackled him. He resisted violently, forcing cops to subdue him at gunpoint. The weapon was recovered on scene, loaded and ready to fire.

Inside Roark’s possession, officers found $20,131 in cash — nearly $8,200 of it stashed beneath the soles of his shoes. The discovery raised immediate red flags about possible drug trafficking or other illegal activity, though no additional charges were filed at this time.

Roark’s criminal history is extensive: prior federal felony convictions for distributing crack cocaine and for being a felon in possession of a firearm; multiple state felony convictions for assault, possession of controlled substances, unlawful use of a weapon, and driving while intoxicated. At the time of the 2015 offense, he was on federal supervised release — a fact that added two extra years to his sentence.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jefferson City Police Department. U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough handed down the 12-year sentence — the maximum allowed under law, underscoring the seriousness of arming oneself while under federal supervision and with a history of violent crime.