Jefferson City man sentenced to 12 years federal prison without parole

Charles Allen Roark, 38, of Jefferson City, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison without parole.

On July 18, 2016, a jury found Roark guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Evidence suggested that Roark was in possession of a loaded Smith and Wesson .40-caliber pistol on July 18, 2015.

On July 18, Jefferson City police officers activated their emergency lights to pull over Roark for having expired license plates. Roark refused to stop and continued driving to the 300 block of Washington Street, where he pulled into a parking lot, got out of his vehicle and fled on foot. During the foot pursuit, Roark pulled a pistol from his waistband and threw it on the ground. Roark scaled a fence and continued to flee.

Roark resisted arrest, but officers were able to forcibly take him into custody at gunpoint. During the pursuit, one of the officers broke his ankle.

Officers found the loaded pistol lying on the ground during a search of the area. Roark was in possession of $20,131, of which $8,151 was recovered from the soles of his shoes.

Roark also has two prior state felony convictions for possession of controlled substances, two prior state felony convictions for assault, and prior state felony convictions for driving while intoxicated and unlawful use of a weapon.