Michael Turner, 35, from Fort Dodge, Iowa was sentenced July 1, 2025, to 87 months’ imprisonment, in federal court in Sioux City, for possession of firearm by a prohibited person.
At the plea hearing on February 5, 2025, Turner admitted that between March 1, 2024 and March 29, 2024, he possessed a Glock .45 caliber pistol knowing that he was then previously convicted of a crime(s) punishable of a term of imprisonment for more than one year and was an unlawful user of controlled substance(s). On March 29, 2024, Turner was stopped and found in possession of a .45 caliber Glock pistol. It was later determined by ballistic comparison evidence the firearm had been used in a March 8, 2024, shooting in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Other evidence, including surveillance video, indicated Turner was present during the shooting.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Turner was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment and must serve a two-year term of supervised release following the imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Turner remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.