Hawkeye Reporter

A Muscatine man has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Robert Owen Knapp, III, 33, was sentenced to 58 months after fleeing from law enforcement while armed with a pistol during an attempted traffic stop in May 2024. Authorities apprehended Knapp and found him holding the weapon.

At the time of the incident, Knapp was on federal supervised release stemming from a 2017 conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. After serving his prison sentence, Knapp will be subject to four years of supervised release. Federal sentencing guidelines do not allow parole.

Knapp’s supervised release related to his prior conviction was revoked. The court imposed an additional nine-month prison term to run consecutively with his new sentence.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentencing. The Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

This prosecution falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide initiative that brings together law enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime and gun violence. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a strategy aimed at strengthening PSN by focusing on building community trust, supporting prevention efforts through local organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and evaluating outcomes. More information about Project Safe Neighborhoods is available at https://www.justice.gov/psn.

"United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Muscatine 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."