A Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing the stolen firearm that he threw out of his car during a police chase.
Cecil Jason Robinson, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 19 years and seven months in federal prison without parole. Robinson was sentenced as an armed career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.
On Jan. 13, 2022, Robinson was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Robinson was in possession of a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine when he was arrested on Jan. 26, 2021, following a high-speed police chase on Interstate 70.
ATF task force officers attempted a traffic stop of Robinson, who was driving a Chevrolet Silverado with a defective brake light on I-70 west between the St. Charles Road exit and the Highway 63 connector on Jan. 26, 2021. When the officers activated their emergency lights, Robinson’s vehicle exited I-70 onto the Highway 63 connector, where it immediately conducted an illegal U-turn, forcing oncoming traffic to stop. The vehicle entered the I-70 west entrance ramp, accelerating its speed, and a vehicle pursuit ensued.
Officers saw Robinson open the driver’s side door slightly and throw out the Sig Sauer handgun into the rocky area between the entrance ramp and I-70. Officers recovered the firearm, which had been reported stolen in Kansas City, Kan. Officers also saw Robinson throw out a baggie of marijuana near the 127.8 mile marker of I-70 west. The pursuit ended in the Columbia Mall parking lot and Robinson was taken into custody.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Robinson has two prior felony convictions for robbery, two prior felony convictions for unlawful use of a weapon, and a prior felony conviction for drug trafficking.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Oliver. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.
