A self-proclaimed YouTube star has been arrested after he posted a live video of himself allegedly speeding over 180 mph on a highway in Mississippi, police said.
His YouTube page has about 10,000 subscribers. According to the channel’s about page, its goal is to “use 100% of revenue earned on YouTube for cool, irresponsible, childishly cool [expletive].”
At one point in the video, when Rogel is slowing down he is pulled over by deputies who received a call about the YouTuber for “driving recklessly on Old Hwy 471.”
“You were going 100 mph, dude,” one deputy said in the video.
“It wasn’t me,” Rogel replied.
He continued to deny any wrongdoing throughout the video and is eventually let go after checking his license.
Deputies later reviewed Rogel’s YouTube page and other social media accounts, finding enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for his residence and vehicle.
“[Rogel] has posted videos of himself violating numerous traffic laws and showing absolutely no respect for the general motoring public,” the police said in their statement titled “Beware what you post on social media.”
“YouTube is not the first means of social media used by Rogel to incriminate himself. Sheriff’s Investigators were provided FaceBook screenshots of Rogel possessing numerous weapons. In some of the threads, he is trying to sell or trade weapons and in others, he is simply displaying the weapons,” they added.
When the deputies arrived at his home, Rogel’s wife, Christina Ann Rogel, attempted to stop authorities from searching the home and lied about her husband’s whereabouts—who at the time wasn’t at home—in an attempt to help him avoid arrest. During the search, police found two weapons.
When Rogel returned home, he was taken into custody without incident, police said. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and reckless driving.
Rogel’s wife, Christina, 35, was also arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Police said the 38-year-old has an extensive criminal history. In 2010, Rogel was sentenced to six years in prison for a 2009 Rankin County embezzlement charge. He has also been arrested in Colorado, Texas, Florida, and Mississippi for larceny related charges.
“Rogel’s status as a convicted felon prohibits him from possessing firearms [and] criminal status has not stopped him from possessing weapons, and advertising his possession of weapons and his disregard for the law on social media,” police said.
Rogel appeared in Rankin County Court on April 2 and was given a $20,000 bond. Meanwhile, Christina received a $2,000 bond.
