Rockford Bar Owner’s Killer Highlighted In a New A&E True Crime Series

Roland Breault, the Rockford man convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2016 death of Dusty Boots owner Joe Pendergrass is featured in a new episode of an A&E true crime series.

The Death of Joe Pendergrass

For as long as I live I will never forget the phone call I received on the morning of June 1, 2016.

I was home on maternity leave with my second daughter, who was born a few weeks earlier. It was early in the morning and I had just got done feeding her when a friend called to tell me that Joe Pendergrass had been stabbed to death the night before. The news shocked me to the core. I was in disbelief.

Joe Pendergrass was the owner of Dusty Boots Saloon, (now Broadway Joe's Bar & Grill), in Rockford, but for many years before that he was a big part of my life when I dated one of his sons.

Joe was always the life of the party, he constantly made me laugh, and I still remember the day he told me he was buying the former Sports Page and turning it into a country bar called Dusty Boots. He was soooo excited about his new adventure, and his time here was cut way too short.

The Conviction of Roland Breault

On May 22, 2024, Roland Breault was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2016 death of Joe Pendergrass, which the court said was an act of self defense. Before the verdict Breault had spent nearly 8 years in jail, and now he's sharing his story in a new episode of a new A&E true crime series called “Accused: Did I Do It?”

Here's a clip from the episode;

A&E's "Accused: Did I Do It?" episode featuring Roland Breault premiered on April 17, 2025, but you can watch the full episode now, here.