Fort Dodge Sex Offender Sentenced to 13 Years for Possessing Firearm

A 42-year-old Fort Dodge man, Archester Rodgers, has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a prohibited person.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand handed down the sentence in Sioux City on May 28, 2024. Rodgers was found guilty of one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person after pleading guilty on January 23, 2024.

The evidence in the case revealed that Rodgers, a convicted sex offender, shot into a residence and threatened people in Fort Dodge on September 20, 2022. Police officers responded to a call from a woman being threatened by Rodgers, who was outside her apartment with an assault rifle. During the call, the victim heard Rodgers fire the gun, and other people began calling 911 to report hearing shots. Rodgers fled from police when they arrived, eventually crashing his car. In Rodgers’ crashed car, officers found spent shell casings which were determined to be fired from Rodgers’ assault rifle, which was later recovered by police.

Earlier that night, Rodgers had shot his assault rifle into another residence in Fort Dodge at least three times. Rodgers was also in violation of his duty to register as a sex offender. His lengthy criminal history includes convictions for rape, sexual battery, domestic assault, failure to register as a sex offender, assault, terroristic threats, and possession of a controlled substance.

Rodgers must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after completing his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. Rodgers is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The 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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department and the United States Marshal Service. Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 23-3027.