Meth and Marijuana User Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Possessing a Sawed-Off Shotgun

An unlawful user of methamphetamine and marijuana who possessed a sawed-off shotgun that he fired was sentenced today to five years in federal prison.

Tyler Dunlap, age 33, from Bennett, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 3, 2025 guilty plea to one count of being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm.

In a plea agreement, Dunlap admitted that on October 30, 2023, he was involved in a verbal dispute with another person.  That person left the home but saw Dunlap with a shotgun and called law enforcement.  Deputies and officers arrived at the residence.  As they approached the house going down a long lane, a deputy heard Dunlap fire the shotgun out the back of the house.  Dunlap did not know that law enforcement officers were on the scene at the time he discharged the gun.  After an officer contacted him, Dunlap left the house unarmed.  Officers found the shotgun, a used shell, and drug paraphernalia in the house.  Later tests revealed that Dunlap had methamphetamine and marijuana in his system at the time.

Dunlap was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Dunlap was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Dunlap 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 Anthony Morfitt and investigated by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office and the Tipton Police Department.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 24-CR-85.

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