Des Moines Man Sentenced to 30 years in Federal Prison for Firearms and Drug Charges

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was sentenced today to 30 years in federal prison for possessing firearms as a felon, possessing a distribution quantity of methamphetamine, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, in September 2023, Scott Eugene Smith, 43, led law enforcement on a car chase shortly before 10:15 am. The car chase concluded with Smith jumping out of a moving vehicle in a parking lot of a Des Moines hotel. Smith fired several shots at a Polk County Sheriff Deputy. Smith then hid his loaded pistol and threw away his cell phone. Smith hid inside the hotel office, where he was found and arrested several hours later. Methamphetamine, marijuana, pills containing fentanyl, and a second gun were found in the vehicle Smith drove during the car chase.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Smith will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.