Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Charles City Man Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison for Being a Felon in Possession of Stolen Firearms
A man who was caught with four stolen firearms after a high speed chase through three counties was sentenced today to more than five years in federal prison.
FRANKLIN FOSTER, age 22, from Charles City, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 11, 2014, guilty plea to being a felon in possession of firearms.
At the sentencing hearing, the record showed that, on April 12, 2014, defendant fled from officers who were trying to stop him for driving with a suspended driver’s license. Defendant fled from the officers at a high rate of speed, eventually traveling through three counties. During the chase, Foster ran stop signs, drove through ditches, drove the wrong way on streets, drove through residential neighborhoods, and reached speeds in excess of 95 miles an hour. During the chase, Foster made phone calls to authorities, threatening to shoot officers. When officers were finally successful in deflating the tires of Foster’s vehicle with stop sticks, defendant engaged in a stand-off with officers, during which time he displayed firearms. Officers eventually succeeded in persuading Foster to drop the weapons and surrender. Foster was convicted in 2012 of the felony offense of Theft 2nd Degree in the Iowa District Court for Floyd County.
Foster was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Foster was sentenced to seventy-one months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Foster is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney C.J. Williams and investigated by ATF, the Charles City Police Department, the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa State Patrol.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 14-CR-2021.
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