A Quitman man was sentenced on Friday to 16 years in federal prison for the armed robbery of a casino near Laurel. 

On July 9, 2020, William Christopher Belk, 33, entered the Bok Homa Casino in Jones County, pointed his handgun at a casino security officer and took several items of property from the officer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi. Belk then fled the scene in a resort vehicle.

Shortly after he left the casino, a Sandersville police officer spotted the vehicle and tried to arrest Belk, according to a press release. Belk fired at and injured the officer, then drove toward Laurel, where officers spotted the vehicle and arrested him on state charges including assault on a police officer.

In August 2020, a federal grand jury indicted Belk, charging him with robbery, use of a firearm during a crime of violence and theft from an Native American gaming establishment. In February 2021, Belk pled guilty to robbery and the use of a firearm during a crime of violence.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin J. Payne.