Earl Frank

Introduction

Earl Frank, a 57-year-old from O’Fallon, Illinois, was convicted by a southern Illinois jury of opening fire on law enforcement officers who had come to a motel to take him into custody. The jury returned three guilty verdicts — announced October 29, 2026, in the Southern District of Illinois — for assault on a federal officer, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and felon in possession of a firearm. Frank had been a fugitive for nearly a year after cutting off his ankle monitor in St. Louis in July 2024 while on supervised release. He faces up to 20 years, a ten-year mandatory minimum, and up to 15 years on the three counts.

Background Information

Frank was already a convicted felon when the shooting occurred: he had previously been convicted of a felony, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm or ammunition, and he was on supervised release when he cut off his ankle monitor in St. Louis in July 2024. The cut monitor made him a fugitive of justice, and he spent nearly a year on the run. In June 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force learned Frank was staying at the Royal Budget Inn in East St. Louis and went there to serve an arrest warrant.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted; sentencing pending.

In June 2025, Deputy U.S. Marshals and task force officers with the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force went to the Royal Budget Inn in East St. Louis to execute an arrest warrant after learning that Frank, 57, of O’Fallon, Illinois, was staying there. Frank had been a fugitive of justice since cutting off his ankle monitor in St. Louis in July 2024 while he was on supervised release — nearly a year on the run. As shown on body-worn camera, agents forcefully knocked and announced themselves three times before using a key to open Frank’s motel door. When an officer opened the door, Frank fired a gun at the officers.

Officers took Frank into custody approximately 10 minutes after he fired the shot. Agents recovered a .380 pistol and a spent .380 shell casing from the motel room, and a box of .380 ammunition from Frank’s car parked outside the motel room. Frank had previously been convicted of a felony and was therefore unable to legally possess a firearm or ammunition — the predicate for the felon-in-possession count he would face at trial.

The case proceeded to trial with no plea deal. A jury in the Southern District of Illinois returned three guilty verdicts, announced on October 29, 2026: guilty of one count of assault on a federal officer, one count of discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.

The sentencing exposure is steep. Assault on a federal officer carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment. Discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence is a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment. Felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by up to 15 years’ imprisonment. Taken together, the three verdicts expose Frank to decades in federal prison. The investigation was led by ATF with assistance from the Illinois State Police, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karelia Rajagopal and Kathleen Howard are prosecuting the case.

Public Reaction and Consequences

“Earl Frank is a dangerous criminal who had been on the run for nearly a year. When Deputy U.S. Marshals caught up with him, he opened fire instead of surrendering,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “We stand behind our law enforcement partners, which is why this case went to trial with no plea deal. Frank will face the full weight of federal law.” Deputy U.S. Marshal Kyle Schulte of the Southern District of Illinois said, “Our Deputy U.S. Marshals and task force officers went to that hotel room to execute an arrest warrant and were met with gunfire. I’m proud of the professionalism and courage displayed that day and grateful for the efforts of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors who helped bring this individual to justice.” Schulte added, “Let this verdict send a clear message to fugitives across the county: the U.S. Marshals Service and our partners will not be intimidated, and violence will not deter us from carrying out our mission.”

Current Status

Earl Frank stands convicted on all three counts following the jury verdicts announced October 29, 2026, in the Southern District of Illinois: assault on a federal officer, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and felon in possession of a firearm. Sentencing is pending. On the verdicts, he faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the assault count, a mandatory minimum of 10 years on the discharge count, and up to 15 years on the felon-in-possession count. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karelia Rajagopal and Kathleen Howard, with ATF having led the investigation alongside the Illinois State Police. Frank, who spent nearly a year as a fugitive before the June 2025 confrontation at the Royal Budget Inn in East St. Louis, will be sentenced at a later date.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Frank’s choice to fire at deputies rather than surrender stacked three federal convictions onto a record that already included a prior felony and a violated supervised release. The mandatory minimum on the discharge count alone guarantees a decade behind bars, and combined with the assault and gun-possession counts the exposure reaches decades more. His arrest ended roughly a year on the run that began when he cut off his ankle monitor in St. Louis in July 2024. With the jury’s verdicts returned and no plea deal having averted trial, the U.S. Attorney’s pledge that Frank “will face the full weight of federal law” now resolves into his upcoming sentencing.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois, “Jury convicts fugitive of shooting at U.S. Marshals serving his arrest warrant”, October 29, 2026 — source