Murder weapon’s purchasing leads to federal charge against Gassville man

A Gassville man, 28-year-old Talmadge Beigh Pendergrss, has been convicted in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas for the federal felony offense of making a false statement in acquisition of a firearm.

Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says Pendergrass was indicted by a grand jury in January charging him with the crime. The indictment follows an investigation into Pendergrass having made a straw purchase of a handgun at a Mountain Home grocery and sporting goods store on or about November 6, 2015. The handgun he purchased was ultimately used by Nicholas Ian Roos in the murder of Donald Rice and Ladonna Rice the next day at their home along County Road 508 near Midway.

Sheriff Montgomery says evidence developed during the murder investigation found Roos had gone to the Mountain Home store accompanied by Pendergrass on November 6, 2015. Roos made application to purchase the handgun, but his application was denied by the background check, and he was not allowed to purchase the firearm. Video evidence from the store indicated Roos then took cash from a bag and handed it over to Pendergrass, who then made application to purchase the weapon. Pendergrass’ purchase was approved, and he took possession of the firearm. Pendergrass stated on the application form he was the actual buyer, when he was acquiring the firearm on behalf of another person, a violation of the law. Pendergrass turned the firearm over to Roos.Montgomery says while there is no evidence to suggest Pendergrass had knowledge of Roos’ intent to use the firearm in the murders of Donald and Ladonna Rice, the indictment was still brought against him on the federal weapons charge. The judgment from the United States District Court indicates Pendergrass plead guilty to the charge in May and was sentenced on October 26 to sixteen months imprisonment in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, after which he will be on supervised probation for a period of three years.

Roos and co-defendants in the murder cases, Zach Tyler Grayham and Mikayla Jordan Mynk, remain incarcerated in the Arkansas Department of Correction.

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