Fort Dodge man faces decade in prison on gun charges

SIOUX CITY – A Fort Dodge man who possessed an unregistered short-barreled firearm pled guilty in federal court and could face a decade in prison.

Jason Jay Hoogland, 38, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was convicted of one count of possession of an unregistered firearm, a short-barreled shotgun.

At the plea hearing, Hoogland admitted that on January 20, 2025, in Fort Dodge, he possessed a short-barreled 20-gauge shotgun which was not registered to him as required in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. That same day, he also possessed a stolen pistol. Law enforcement located these items, and drug paraphernalia, at defendant’s residence after executing a search warrant based on information that he had used a firearm to assault a person being treated at a local hospital. Later, on April 23, 2025, in Fort Dodge, Hoogland was found to possess another stolen firearm and short-barreled firearms not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Hoogland remains in custody of the United States Marshals Service and will remain in custody pending sentencing. Hoogland faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $10,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

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.