A career criminal with multiple convictions for drug trafficking is headed to prison for more than a decade after he was apprehended with illegal drugs following a car crash, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week.
Kevin Robertson, 53, of Indianapolis, Ind., was sentenced on Dec. 20 to 11 years in federal prison and five years of supervised probation for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, the DOJ's Southern District of Indiana announced at the time. Robertson's criminal history includes six prior felony convictions for dealing methamphetamine, illegally possessing a firearm and resisting law enforcement officers, according to the announcement.
Law enforcement officers dispatched to arrest Robertson on Jan. 25 for an outstanding warrant observed the suspect place a bag in a reportedly stolen Ford pickup truck and leave his residence, according to the report. When officers attempted a traffic stop, Robertson "sped away," and crashed into another vehicle in a nearby intersection. The driver of the other vehicle was injured and hospitalized, the report states.
Robertson was apprehended after fleeing the scene on foot, the announcement reports. The bag, recovered from the truck, "contained 75 grams of pure methamphetamine, a digital scale with drug residue, numerous plastic bags, and a loaded pistol," the report states. "In his guilty plea, Robertson admitted that he intended to distribute the illegal drugs."
The case is part of the DOJ's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, a collaboration between law-enforcement agencies and community leaders to identify causes of violent crime and develop strategies to reduce it, according to the report.
“Holding the defendant accountable for his violent actions and illegal drug activities should send a clear message to others in the community of the impact of this criminal activity,” FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton said in the report.
“If you choose to pursue a path of criminal activity," Stapleton said, "the FBI and our law enforcement partners will ensure that you are identified, investigated and removed from society.”
