Clear Lake Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person

A man who possessed a firearm as a felon and person convicted of domestic violence was sentenced today to more than 4 years in federal prison.

Michael Ryan Mikkelson, age 37, from Clear Lake, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 26, 2024, guilty plea to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon and a person convicted of domestic violence.

In a plea agreement, Mikkelson admitted that on the night of September 15, 2023, he was riding his bicycle in Clear Lake, when an officer from the Clear Lake Police Department spotted him. The officer was aware Mikkelson had an arrest warrant out of Cerro Gordo County and made contact with him. After being advised he was to be taken into custody on the warrant, Mikkelson ran. After a short foot pursuit, the officer lost Mikkelson in the dark between houses at the end of an alley. Mikkelson later turned himself in. On October 3, 2023, a resident found a handgun next to a garage where the officer lost sight of Mikkelson during the foot pursuit. Mikkelson later admitted the gun was his.

Mikkelson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Mikkelson was sentenced to 51 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.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice's violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Mikkelson 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 Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated by the Clear Lake Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office, Mason City Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Cerro Gordo County Attorney's Office, and United States Marshal's Service.

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

The case file number is 24-CR-03009.

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