FORT DODGE — A convicted Northern Iowa felon caught with large quantities of methamphetamine, firearms and ammunition during repeated high-speed police pursuits has been sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison.
Ray Spencer Hollers, 31, of Fort Dodge, was sentenced Tuesday, August 4, 2026, to 224 months in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug and gun charges.
Hollers admitted conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine between November and December 2024. He also admitted possessing methamphetamine intended for distribution during several encounters with law enforcement.
His dangerous encounters with police stretched back well before the federal conspiracy case.
On February 7, 2023, Webster County law enforcement officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Hollers. He refused to stop and led officers on a high-speed pursuit that exceeded 100 mph.
The chase ended after Hollers struck tire-deflation devices and eventually stopped.
Officers searched the vehicle and seized more than 600 grams of methamphetamine, drug-distribution materials, more than $1,800 in cash and several ammunition magazines belonging to Hollers.
Authorities said Hollers repeated the dangerous behavior on December 5, 2024, after officers observed him conduct a drug sale in Webster County.
When officers attempted to stop his vehicle, Hollers again fled and led police on another high-speed pursuit.
Investigators said Hollers (pictured at top) threw methamphetamine from the vehicle during the chase. His car was finally disabled after striking a concrete median.
Officers searched the vehicle and seized approximately one pound of methamphetamine, drug-distribution materials, more than $4,000 in cash and two firearms, including one that was loaded.
A search conducted later that day at a Fort Dodge residence associated with Hollers uncovered approximately 75 additional grams of pure methamphetamine and a digital scale.
Federal investigators learned that Hollers supplied methamphetamine to numerous people and frequently carried firearms.
The new federal case was not Hollers’ first encounter with Iowa law enforcement.
NIT reported in March 2018 that Hollers was arrested following a theft investigation in Webster City. Police said stolen property and other suspicious items were discovered inside a vehicle occupied by Hollers and another man.
Hollers was charged in that case with fifth-degree theft, introducing a controlled substance into an institution and driving while his license was suspended.
Federal prosecutors said Hollers had accumulated several felony convictions in Iowa, including a 2017 drug-trafficking offense, a 2018 conviction for possessing multiple firearms as a convicted felon and a 2020 dangerous-eluding conviction.
He pleaded guilty on March 20, 2026, to conspiracy to distribute at least 50 grams of pure methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of pure methamphetamine, possession of firearms by a prohibited person and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand imposed the sentence in Sioux City.
Strand described Hollers’ repeated dangerous attempts to flee from police while possessing large quantities of methamphetamine, firearms and ammunition as extremely aggravating and despicable.
Hollers must serve five years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
He remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service while awaiting transfer to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick T. Greenwood and Shawn S. Wehde.
The investigation involved the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Sac County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory.