Federal prosecutors have charged Ian Roberts, the recently resigned superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, with unlawfully possessing firearms while living in the United States without legal status.
Roberts, 54, stepped down from his role leading Des Moines Public Schools earlier this week, only days after fleeing from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a traffic stop. He was later captured with the help of the Iowa State Patrol. Court filings state that during his arrest, officers discovered a handgun wrapped in a towel inside the Jeep Cherokee he was driving.
Originally from Guyana, Roberts has been held in Sioux City since late Friday. He appeared virtually before a federal magistrate judge after being taken into custody on a weapons-related warrant. Prosecutors allege he had four firearms in total, a pistol under the seat of his district-issued vehicle, a pistol, rifle and shotgun found at his home. All were reportedly loaded, with one firearm believed to have been purchased by his wife…