Rusty Joe Barker, Felon in Possession of Firearm, Iowa 2022

A man from Hawkeye, Iowa, has been sentenced to over two years in federal prison for being in possession of a firearm, a crime that could have had deadly consequences.

Rusty Joe Barker, 39, received the prison term after a guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The firearm was found in Barker’s house during a runaway child investigation by Fayette County authorities.

Barker, who is from Hawkeye, Iowa, admitted to possessing the firearm on August 10, 2022. He also admitted to having previously been convicted in 2007 in Chickasaw County, Iowa, of the felony offenses of third-degree kidnapping, and two counts of willful injury-causing serious injury.

Barker was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. He was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment and must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Barker is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities. The program was launched on May 26, 2021, and is based on the core principles of fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and investigated by Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Rusty Joe Barker, 39, Hawkeye, Iowa, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The crime was committed on August 10, 2022, in Iowa. Barker was previously convicted in 2007 in Chickasaw County, Iowa, of third-degree kidnapping and two counts of willful injury-causing serious injury. The sentence includes a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/firearm-possession-results-prison-sentence