DAKOTA CITY, IA – Nathan Nickless, 40, of Dakota City, Humboldt County, Iowa, will spend the next 25 years of his life behind bars after receiving a hefty federal prison sentence yesterday. Nickless was convicted on multiple charges, including possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine – a repeat offense – possession of a firearm as a prohibited person, and failing to appear in court.
The drama unfolded on August 12, 2023, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, when law enforcement attempted a routine traffic stop of a truck driven by Nickless. Routine quickly turned reckless as Nickless floored it, leading officers on a chase onto a river road. He didn’t stop there, intentionally ramming his vehicle into a civilian car before ditching the truck and taking off on foot. A search of the abandoned vehicle revealed a disturbing arsenal: a loaded 9mm pistol, roughly 200 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, pills, THC gummies, ammunition, a scale, and a stash of baggies used for distribution.
Released pending trial, Nickless showed his true colors on July 8, 2024, by simply not showing up. He became a fugitive, evading law enforcement for several months. The chase reignited on September 28, 2024, in Humboldt County. Again, Nickless refused to stop for officers, initiating another vehicle pursuit before abandoning his car in a field near a river. He vanished into the brush, forcing officers to lose sight of him. A subsequent search of the abandoned vehicle turned up even more drugs: methamphetamine, marijuana, pills, scales, and packaging materials.
The fugitive’s freedom was short-lived. On October 2, 2024, Nickless was discovered hiding inside a Humboldt County residence and taken into custody. He appeared before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand in Sioux City, where he received a sentence of 300 months’ imprisonment. The sentence is followed by a mandatory 10-year term of supervised release – a formality in a federal system with no parole.
Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick T. Greenwood handled the prosecution, while a multi-agency task force – including the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa DCI Laboratory, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the U.S. Marshals Service – conducted the investigation. Nickless is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals awaiting transport to a federal facility.
Court file information can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. Case file number is 23-3040. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on X @USAO_NDIA for further updates.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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