49-Year-Old Sioux City Man Convicted of Kidnapping and Felon Gun Charges

A Sioux City man was convicted of kidnapping and possessing ammunition as a felon and drug user, a federal jury decided on April 26, 2024, after a 5-day trial in federal court in Sioux City.

Bobby Rhoden, 49, of Sioux City, Iowa, was found guilty of one count of kidnapping and one count of possession of ammunition by a felon and drug user. The conviction stems from an incident where Rhoden used threats to get his victim, a former girlfriend, into his car to help him recover a phone she had taken.

Evidence presented at trial revealed that Rhoden brutalized his victim over the next 36 hours, driving her to at least two locations in an effort to find his phone. The victim managed to escape Rhoden by running away from him to a neighbor’s house, with Rhoden firing his gun at or near her. A subsequent investigation uncovered live ammunition and a spent casing in the garage where Rhoden lived, and one of the locations where he held his victim.

This is not Rhoden’s first run-in with the law. He was previously convicted of two counts of forgery in Scott County, Iowa, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in Scott County, Iowa, and conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an evidence-based program aimed at reducing violent crime. Rhoden faces a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years of supervised release following any imprisonment. Sentencing will be set after a presentence report is prepared.

The case is being investigated by the Sioux City, Iowa Police Department, ATF, and is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild. Rhoden remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Court file information can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 22-04073.

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