Fort Dodge Sex Offender Sent to Federal Prison for 13 Years for Possession of a Firearm

A man who shot into a residence and threatened people was sentenced on May 28, 2024, to 13 years in federal prison.  Archester Rodgers, age 42, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 23, 2024, guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Evidence in the case revealed that on September 20, 2022, in Fort Dodge, police officers responded to a call from a woman being threatened by Rodgers, who was outside her apartment with an assault rifle.  During the call, the victim heard Rodgers fire the gun and other people began calling 911 to report hearing shots.  Rodgers fled from police when they arrived, eventually crashing his car.  In Rodgers’ crashed car, officers found spent shell casings which were determined to be fired from Rodgers’ assault rifle, which was later recovered by police.  It was later determined that earlier the same night, Rodgers shot his assault rifle into another residence in Fort Dodge at least three times.  Rodgers was also in violation of his duty to register as a sex offender.  Rodgers has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for: Rape, Sexual Battery, Domestic Assault—Bodily Harm (twice), Failure to Register as a Sex Offender (four times), Assault, Terroristic Threats, Criminal Sexual Conduct—Fifth Degree—Nonconsensual Sexual Contact, Domestic Assault—Commits Act to Cause Fear or Immediate Bodily Harm or Death, Possession of a Controlled Substance (twice), and Eluding (twice).  

Rodgers was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand to 156 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Rodgers is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department and the United States Marshal Service. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 23-3027.

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