DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO) – The superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, Dr. Ian Roberts, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after initially fleeing law enforcement and was then arrested for illegally possessing a firearm.

According to a release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, officers approached Roberts in his vehicle after identifying himself, but he sped away. Officers later discovered his vehicle abandoned near a wooded area. State Patrol assisted in locating the subject and he was taken into ICE custody.

Roberts, who was originally from Guyana, entered the United States in 1999 on a student visa and was given a final order of removal by an immigration judge in May 2024. Roberts had existing weapon possession charges from February 5, 2020.

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