Roberts was convicted of assault on a police officer, a fourth-degree felony and resisting arrest and felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and aggravated menacing, a misdemeanor, for the crimes against the Amazon delivery driver.
Judge Noah Powers II set sentencing for Oct. 9. He faces up to 9 1/2 years in prison on the felony charges and an additional 180 day in jail on the aggravated menacing charge and 90 days on the resisting arrest.
Roberts has been held in the Butler County Jail in lieu of a $10,000 bond while awaiting trial.
The incident happened shortly before 5 a.m. Aug. 7 in the 4500 block of Central Avenue. The delivery driver, Gino Grove, said a man “came out of nowhere with a knife and moved toward him,” said Sgt. Earl Nelson last summer. That is when the delivery driver shot the man in the leg.
“The Amazon guy was delivering packages, a man came out of nowhere waiving a knife — we think strung out ... the Amazon driver fired and hit him in the leg,” the sergeant said.
Roberts fled the area and was eventually found by officers, then transported Atrium Medical Center for treatment.
In the 911 call, Grove said Roberts tried to attack him with a knife, and “I just discharged my firearm.”
At about 5 p.m., officers received a call for the area of Rosedale Road and Magnolia Drive involving Roberts. He walked out of the hospital without permission and was acting strangely, according to the police report.
Witnesses said the man was trying to get in the sewers.
When officers arrived, Roberts was gone, but officers continued to search the area, finding a walkway through the tree line toward a creek bank.
Roberts was found in the creek “flailing in the water underneath a log,” according to the report.
Initially, Roberts complied with orders from officers but said “nope, not doing that” when the officer attempted to handcuff him, according to the report.
There was a tussle and an officer deployed a Taser, hitting Roberts several times before he complied with orders, according to police. He was transported to the hospital where he underwent surgery for the gunshot wound.
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