Michael Allen Roberts, 49, of Cedar Hill was arrested by members of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Mineral Area Drug Task Force, Franklin County Narcotics Unit and Missouri State Highway Patrol following a foot chases. He was wanted on a warrant for possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a weapon, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
Roberts was arrested on Sept. 11 in the 7900 block of Riverview Drive in Dittmer, Sheriff Dave Marshak announced in a written statement Monday, Sept. 18.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had charged him on Sept. 7 with one count of possession of a controlled substance and three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, each one a class D felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison, court records show.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office narcotics investigators and SWAT members, along with other law enforcement officers, executed a search warrant at about 6:40 a.m. Sept. 11 at the Dittmer home. Roberts allegedly ran from the home into woods near the Big River, the report said.
Officers pursued him through the woods and across the Big River before arresting him. A Highway Patrol trooper was injured when he slipped on the riverbank during the pursuit and was recovering in an area hospital, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said Monday.
There was no report of a physical struggle when officers took Roberts into custody.
Investigators allegedly found two guns reported stolen in Jefferson County and a crystal-like substance believed to be methamphetamine in a bag in the woods where Roberts was chased, according to the report.
A stolen vehicle was found outside the home, and a homemade explosive device was found inside the home. The St. Louis County Bomb and Arson Squad safely detonated the device, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
At least four other people were at the home when the search warrant was executed. None of those people were arrested, but depending on the results of further investigation, they may face charges, Marshak said.
Roberts was being held today on a $30,000 cash-only bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court documents show.
Roberts previously was convicted of at least four felonies, according to court records.
In April 2014, he pleaded guilty to two felony counts of resisting arrest and one count of assaulting or attempting to assault a law enforcement officer in November 2011 in Jefferson County. He was sentenced to four years in prison, court documents said.
In April 2019, Roberts pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance stemming from a December 2016 arrest in Jefferson County. He was sentenced to four years in jail, court records show.
In October 2022, he was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm after a February 2022 arrest in Jefferson County. He also was charged on April 26 with stealing, a class D felony, following a September 2022 arrest in Jefferson County, court records show.