OKATIE, S.C. (June 8, 2023) – A 30-year-old Hardeeville man with a lengthy criminal record has been sent to federal prison on drug charges.
Jamal Akeem Roberts was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 10 years imprisonment, followed by six years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute various controlled substances.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carra Henderson prosecuted the case. Employed by the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, she is embedded with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute offenders in federal court.
On Oct. 8, 2020, Roberts, who was wanted by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office for drug-related charges, was identified as a passenger in a black Buick Enclave. The vehicle’s driver fled when authorities tried to conduct a traffic stop. Roberts was apprehended after a short foot chase. A small amount of marijuana was found in his pocket.
Investigators monitoring Roberts’ calls from the detention center learned during a conversation with a relative that while running from officers, he threw a black bag over a privacy fence. The bag was retrieved from the spot Roberts described, and it contained a .40-caliber pistol, crack cocaine and dozens of illicit pills.
Roberts’ criminal history includes convictions for trafficking methamphetamine, distributing cocaine, domestic violence, and driving under the influence. He is a member of the Outlaws street gang.
Henderson is a member of the Solicitor’s Office Career Criminal Unit, which prosecutes the circuit’s most violent and habitual offenders. That team has earned convictions against 451 of the 490 defendants it has prosecuted since its formation in 2009.
