Previously Convicted Armed Robber Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Armed Carjacking

EVANSVILLE – Omaree Shay Roby, 25, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to carjacking and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

According to court documents, on September 27, 2020, officers with the Evansville Police Department responded to a residence on East Indiana Street regarding a robbery complaint. The adult female victim, told officers that she had been approached by a man, later identified as Roby, as she sat inside her car while parked on her driveway. When Roby demanded that the victim relinquish her vehicle, the victim refused, and Roby pointed a pistol in the air and fired a shot. At that point, the victim exited her vehicle, and Roby entered the driver’s seat and drove away. While at the scene, officers located one spent .40 caliber shell casing on the victim’s driveway.

Vigo County Sheriff deputies subsequently located Roby traveling northbound through Vigo County in the stolen vehicle, and pursued Roby into Vermillion County. When law enforcement officers deployed stop sticks in Clinton, Indiana, Roby drove through the stop sticks and fired shots at the officers from the stolen vehicle. Roby ultimately came to a stop near State Road 63 and U.S. Highway 36. As he exited the vehicle, Roby raised a firearm at the officers, who returned fire and struck Roby. Roby was transported to the hospital and survived. Upon searching the stolen vehicle, officers recovered a .40 caliber pistol.

Roby had been previously convicted of two counts of armed robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit armed robbery in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, in July 2015.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Chief Billy Bolin, Evansville Police Department, made the announcement.

The Evansville Police Department, Vigo County Sheriff’s Office, Vermillion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Indiana State Police investigated the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Vermillion County Prosecutor’s Office provided valuable assistance. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. As part of the sentence, Judge Young ordered that Roby be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for three years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristian R. Mukoski who prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.