Austin Matthew Oberbroeckling, Loaded Handgun, Iowa 2022

Austin Matthew Oberbroeckling, 27, of Farley, Iowa, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for possession of a firearm by an unlawful drug user in Dubuque, Iowa, on May 12, 2022.

Oberbroeckling was found under the influence of methamphetamine in a Dubuque cell phone store bathroom with a loaded handgun on January 5, 2022. The .40 caliber handgun was loaded with 14 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.

Oberbroeckling had red and watery eyes, poor balance, and seemed lethargic and twitching, according to the Dubuque Police Department. His Blood Alcohol Content was 0.01, but later testing of his urine determined that Oberbroeckling had methamphetamine and biproducts of heroin and fentanyl in his system.

Oberbroeckling also admitted to being present at a hotel in Dubuque where drug paraphernalia was seen by hotel staff in August 2021. Hotel staff told Oberbroeckling that the police would be called, and Oberbroeckling and another occupant took some items and left the hotel. Hotel staff and police found two shotguns in the room and various items of drug paraphernalia. Police found Oberbroeckling’s vehicle still parked outside the hotel the next day and obtained a search warrant for it. Inside the vehicle, officers found a bag containing a shotgun with a shortened barrel.

Oberbroeckling was sentenced by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams to 24 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Oberbroeckling is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. The case was investigated by the Dubuque Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.

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