WILMINGTON, Del.- A man acquitted on charges tied to the 2017 inmate uprising at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center and death of a Delaware correctional officer was arrested on the third anniversary of the riot, police said.
Roman Shankaras, 33, on Saturday was charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a person prohibited and a traffic violation, according to Wilmington police spokesman David Karas.
Police said officers on patrol encountered Shankaras about 2:45 a.m. after being flagged down regarding a suspicious vehicle, police said.
Officers made contact with Shankaras and found him to be in possession of a loaded 9mm handgun, police said. He was taken into custody, arraigned, and committed to the Delaware Department of Correction on $10,000 cash-only bail.
Shankaras was among 18 inmates charged in connection to the Feb. 1, 2017 riot at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center but was acquitted last year on all charges, including two counts of first-degree murder for the death of correctional officer Steven Floyd. He was released from prison following the trial, having completed a sentence for unrelated riot and robbery charges.
In an interview with WBOC, Shankaras was critical of prosecutors and said their case against him was a "fallacy." He said he had planned to find employment, help advance his fiancee's nonprofit, and shake his association with the prison riot.