Tackett denied appeal, will serve sentence
Angry he had not been given his medication before court, confessed armed robber Roger Dale Tackett fumbled his chance at early release and was sent back to the penitentiary to serve the remainder of his 20-year sentence.
“We’ll see you again in about 20 years,” said Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley, fed up with Tackett’s antics in backing out of his hearing for new trial.
Tackett, 33, had asked for a hearing for new trial shortly after entering a guilty plea to aggravated robbery charges for the robbery and shooting of service station owner Paul Walker in December 1990. Walker, who remains in a wheelchair, was shot in the neck during a robbery for a strongbox which contained around $500.
The incident happened 15 years ago tomorrow on Dec. 19. However, Tackett was not brought to justice until earlier this year.
Lawmen strongly suspect Tackett had partners in crime, however, he has refused to give them up, opting instead to take the fall himself. Most lawmen who have worked with the case believe Tackett was the shooter, although he has denied firing the shot.
Tackett came before the court recently after filing papers asking the court reconsider the 20-year sentence he was given this past spring when he entered a guilty plea to the charges. Prosecutors believe Tackett got cold feet once he arrived in the penitentiary and was looking for a new deal.
It was during his appearance before Judge Stanley that Tackett asked his case be delayed because he had not taken his medication the morning of the hearing. However, the court was not inclined to grant the last-minute continuation, sending him back to take a seat. Eventually, his counsel announced Tackett was withdrawing his application for new trial, prompting the judge’s response of “see you in 20 years.”
In actuality, Tackett will come up for parole in 2008, with his fate to be determined then by a parole board. Prosecutors have vowed to fight any early parole. His sentence, if he serves it completely, will expire in 2022.