A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas has indicted Bobby Michael Dennis, 64, of Jacksonville, on charges related to the possession of firearms as a convicted felon. The indictment follows an incident on November 2, 2025, where Dennis allegedly shot a Jacksonville police officer with an AR-15-style rifle during an attempt by the officer to identify him due to multiple outstanding warrants.
According to court information, Dennis fired several rounds at the officer, her K9 partner, and her vehicle before fleeing the scene. The incident prompted a multi-agency manhunt and led to the closure of Jacksonville-area schools for two days. Authorities later executed a search warrant at Dennis’s residence in Jacksonville and found four additional firearms. He was apprehended on November 5, 2025, at a bunker he had constructed near Cuney, where another firearm was recovered.
Dennis is legally barred from possessing firearms because he is a three-time convicted felon. His prior convictions include aggravated robbery in Smith County and aggravated assault and possession of a controlled substance in Pulaski County, Arkansas.
If convicted on the current federal firearms charges, Dennis could face up to life imprisonment.
The investigation involves multiple agencies: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office; Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office; Jacksonville Police Department; Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division; and Texas Rangers. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Locker and Lucas Machicek are prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs stated: “A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
