A man arrested by police after a shooting in St. Louis was indicted in U.S. District Court on gun and fentanyl possession charges.
Robert Eutz III, 43, was indicted Wednesday on five felonies: two counts of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The crimes are alleged to have occurred on February 1 and 21 of 2022 and March 30, 2023.
A criminal complaint filed on March 31 says officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department were called to a shooting in the 3500 block of Lafayette Avenue on March 30 and were told that someone in an older model Chrysler shot a victim multiple times. Police also were given a partial license plate number. Police stopped a Chrysler with a license plate matching that number a short distance away, and arrested Eutz, who was identified as the shooter by a witness. Eutz also had ammunition, spent cartridges, and a safe in the car.
A motion seeking to have Eutz held in jail until trial says he has a pending drug charge in St. Louis Circuit Court related to a February 2022 arrest, in which he is alleged to have possessed a large quantity of fentanyl.
The felon-in-possession charges carry a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, and the fentanyl charge carries a 20-year maximum. The possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime charge carries a mandatory minimum term of at least five years in prison, consecutive to the other charges.
Charges set forth in an indictment or a criminal complaint are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.
