SIOUX CITY — A Fort Dodge man was sentenced Monday to more than two years in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.

Justice Terry, 26, pleaded guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm on Sept. 18, 2020.

On Sept. 30, 2019, Terry was stopped by law enforcement after reports that he had assaulted his girlfriend with a handgun. His girlfriend, a passenger in the vehicle upon his arrest, had a restraining order against him issued by Wright County District Court.

Evidence at hearings showed that he was an unlawful user of marijuana and/or methamphetamine. During the traffic stop, he was in possession of a Taurus .357 magnum revolver, loaded with three rounds under the driver’s seat, plus two small bags of meth and one small bag of marijuana.

Terry subsequently pleaded guilty and was sentenced in state court for assaulting his girlfriend.

On the federal firearm charge, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, including credit for 27 days previously served on the assault conviction. Following his prison term, he must serve a three-year supervised release.

Terry’s case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn S. Wehde after investigation by the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Dodge Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program with the Department of Justice that uses a broad spectrum of stakeholders to identify and reduce the most pressing violent crime problems. 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 also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.