CEDAR RAPIDS — A repeat Northern Iowa felon who was already forbidden from possessing firearms — and had previously been convicted of illegally possessing one — was caught driving with an arsenal of 20 guns and is now headed to federal prison.
Timothy Parrish, 65, of Oelwein, was sentenced Tuesday, August 11, 2026, to 12 months and one day in federal prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to possession of a firearm by a felon.
Federal prosecutors said the case began in August 2025, when Parrish retrieved 20 firearms from a residence and set off for home with the weapons.
Law enforcement officers stopped Parrish’s vehicle and discovered the guns.
For Parrish, possessing even one firearm was illegal.
Prosecutors said Parrish has previous state court convictions for corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, false imprisonment and driving under the influence. He also has a previous conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Despite that criminal history and his prohibition from possessing guns, authorities said Parrish had 20 firearms with him when officers intercepted him.
Parrish pleaded guilty March 4, 2026, to one federal count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams handed down the sentence Tuesday in Cedar Rapids, ordering Parrish to serve 12 months and one day behind bars followed by three years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Parrish will not immediately be taken into federal custody. He was allowed to remain free under his previously imposed bond and has been ordered to surrender to the United States Marshal on Monday, August 31.
The prosecution is another in a series of federal gun cases involving convicted felons in Northern Iowa. NIT reported in June that an Independence felon was sent to federal prison following an armed standoff and accidental gunshot.
Later that month, NIT reported that another Northern Iowa felon caught with a stolen firearm was sentenced to eight years in federal prison.
Parrish’s prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative that federal officials say combines resources aimed at violent crime, illegal immigration, cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The Oelwein Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake prosecuted the case.
Against the 2nd amendment.