SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A man from Springfield has been charged in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm.

Timothy Zegar, 39, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Zegar has a prior felony conviction for fleeing and eluding law enforcement.

The complaint alleges that Zegar was in possession of a Spike’s Tactical 5.56-caliber AR-style rifle between Jan. 18 and 21, 2023.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, the FBI began investigating Zegar for illegally trafficking firearms in August 2022. An undercover special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives contacted Zegar about purchasing a firearm on Jan. 18, 2023.

The undercover agent met Zegar at his residence and purchased the Spike’s Tactical rifle from him on Jan. 21, 2023.

Zegar was arrested in February and remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Feb. 6.