A 23-year-old Mason City man is facing serious prison time after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a prohibited person and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Tirrell Harlan Hopkins, Jr., 23, of Mason City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
According to court documents, on November 18, 2023, Hopkins knowingly possessed a Springfield Armory, Model: Saint, Caliber: 5.56 NATO, Type: Pistol, in Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. At the time, Hopkins was aware that he was a user of illegal drugs, had been convicted of a felony, and convicted of a crime of domestic violence, all of which prohibited him from legally possessing a gun.
Additionally, Hopkins admitted to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute some or all of the methamphetamine to another person on the same date.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Hopkins remains in custody of the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Hopkins faces a potential of a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, and 6 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated by the Mason City Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations Laboratory, and the United States Marshal’s Service.
Court file information can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 24-CR-03008.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA for updates on federal crime cases in Iowa.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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