Omaha Man to Prison for Illegal Possession of Firearm in Iowa

A man who illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced May 16, 2023, to 33 months in federal prison.

Mark Hadland, 49, from Omaha, Nebraska, received the prison term after a February 7, 2023, guilty plea to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.  Hadland was previously convicted of felony Theft by Unlawful Taking Over $1500, in the Douglas County District Court for Nebraska, on or about April 7, 2010.

Evidence at the hearings showed that on August 8, 2022, Buena Vista County, Iowa, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Hadland was driving.  It was determined Hadland’s driver’s license was revoked, and he admitted a marijuana roach was in the vehicle.  Pursuant to a search of Hadland’s vehicle, law enforcement seized marijuana, drug paraphernalia, a cane with a detachable top concealing a 14-inch knife, loose ammunition, and a stolen firearm with one round in the chamber.  Hadland further admitted that he was a user of marijuana and methamphetamine. 

Hadland was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Hadland was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Hadland 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 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.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office, Storm Lake Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 22-4093.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.