Mason City Man Charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance

Tirrell Harlan Hopkins, Jr., age 23, from Mason City, Iowa, has been charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.­ The charges are contained in an Indictment filed on February 14, 2024, in United States District Court in Sioux City. 

The Indictment alleges that, on or about November 18, 2023, Hopkins, knowing he had previously been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, knowing he was then an unlawful user of a controlled substance as defined in 21 U.S.C. § 802, namely marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine, and knowing he had previously been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, possessed a firearm and ammunition, and the firearm and ammunition were in and affecting commerce.

Hopkins is also charged with knowingly and intentionally possessing, with intent to distribute, less than 50 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), having previously been convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver marijuana, a felony drug offense on December 10, 2018, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa.

If convicted on all charges, Hopkins faces a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a $2 Million fine, and 6 years up to life of supervised release following any imprisonment.­

Hopkins appeared today in federal court in Sioux City and was held without bond.  Hopkin’s next appearance for a detention hearing is set for February 28, 2024. 

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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 is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated by the Mason City Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and the United States Marshal’s Service.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-03008.

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