Marianna Man Sentenced for Escaping Halfway House

Tallahassee, Florida - Trashad Laron Roberts, 35, of Marianna, Florida, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison following a jury's guilty verdict for escape. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin quote: "The terms of supervision at a residential reentry center are not suggestions, they are mandatory conditions of an inmate's prison sentence that are designed to keep our communities safe. This defendant willfully disregarded the restrictions placed upon him that were part of his prior sentence, and now he will spend even longer in prison. The safety of our communities is not negotiable, and my office will aggressively prosecute offenders like this defendant who threaten that safety."

Court records reflect that in September 2020, the defendant was convicted of possession and distribution of methamphetamine in the Northern District of Florida. The defendant was required to serve four years on supervised release following his multi-year federal prison sentence. The defendant was scheduled to serve the final year of his prison term at a residential reentry center in Tallahassee. Evidence at trial demonstrated that on September 2, 2025, the defendant left the residential reentry center without authorization. Law enforcement immediately acted to locate the defendant. Four hours later, the United States Marshals Service and the Tallahassee Police Department found the defendant hiding inside a residence.

"As soon as the U.S. Marshals Service learned that Trashad Roberts was on the run, we sent our fugitive task force to work," said Acting U.S. Marshal Greg Leljedal. "Through swift, decisive action with our partners at the Tallahassee Police Department, we were able to quickly locate Roberts and had him back in prison before bed."

Roberts will be required to serve the remainder of his first sentence consecutive to the sentence handed down in the escape case. He will then serve four years on supervised release.

The Bureau of Prisons utilizes Residential Reentry Centers, also known as halfway houses, in its network of confinement facilities. The Centers are designed to help federal prisoners transition back into society by providing a safe, structured environment with supervision and support services, such as employment.

The United States Marshals Service and the Tallahassee Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph A. Ravelo and Meredith L. Steer prosecuted the case.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.