Ashley Thompson, Assault, Iowa 2026

A brutal assault on the Meskwaki Settlement in Iowa has landed a woman behind bars for over five years. Ashley Thompson, 38, of Tama, Iowa, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for assaulting a woman with a piece of wooden trim.

The incident occurred on January 14, 2024, at a residence within the Meskwaki Settlement. An argument between multiple individuals had escalated, leading Thompson to pick up a loose piece of wooden wall trim. She then thrust the trim at the victim, causing a piece of the wood to break off and become lodged in the victim’s neck.

The victim was transported to Marshalltown and then to Des Moines for surgery, where a medical team was able to remove the piece of wood from the victim’s jugular vein. Despite the severity of the injuries, the victim’s jugular vein was not pierced.

Thompson’s criminal history is marked by a series of assault convictions in state court, including four previous convictions. While detained in the Polk County jail in February 2024, Thompson assaulted another inmate by throwing a cup of hot water at her.

Thompson’s lengthy list of convictions also includes child endangerment, operating a vehicle while intoxicated, disorderly conduct, and theft. The assault on the Meskwaki Settlement was charged as one count of assault causing serious bodily injury, to which Thompson pleaded guilty on March 31, 2025.

In addition to the prison term, Thompson must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after her release from prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Thompson is currently being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Meskwaki Nation Police Department. The case file number is 24-cr-00069, and court file information can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

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