DAVENPORT, IA - On August 26, 2015, Charles Bryan Ewert, age 36, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey to 84 months in prison for being a felon in possession of eight firearms and for making false statements during the purchase of a firearm, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. Ewert was also ordered to serve three years supervised release following the imprisonment and to pay $200 towards the Crime Victims Fund. Ewert agreed to forfeit his interest in the firearms and ammunition he illegally possessed.
On August 14, 2014, the Davenport Police responded to a 911 call at the residence of Charles Bryan Ewer in Davenport, Iowa, in reference to a domestic disturbance. The caller related she had been physically and emotionally abused by Ewert, he had threatened to kill her, and he had multiple firearms at the residence. Davenport Police surrounded the residence and attempted to make contact with Ewert. He was uncooperative and the situation was handled as a barricaded suspect who was possibly armed. Ewert was observed by officers entering and leaving the garage during the stand-off. After about an hour, Ewert was arrested. A search warrant was obtained for the residence, and a search was conducted.
Eight firearms were recovered in the garage along with a large amount of ammunition for various types and calibers
of firearms. The firearms include : (1) a Bushmaster Carbon 15 (AR15) .223 caliber semiautomatic rifle, (2) a Springfield 87A, .22 caliber rifle, (3) a Glock Model 22 .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol, (4) a Springfield Armory M1A, 7.62 caliber rifle, (5) a Winchester 50, 12 gauge shotgun, (6) a Winchester 12, 12 gauge shotgun, (7) a Ruger P95, 9mm semiautomatic pistol, and (8) a Remington 870, 12 gauge shotgun. Ewert was convicted in 2002 of felony eluding, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. The Glock pistol was traced to a federal firearms licensee, who produced copies of a gun permit, driver's license, and Form 4473 for a person with the name of a Davenport businessman.
The police interviewed the Davenport businessman, who said he provided a copy of his driver's license and copy of his gun permit to Ewert as they were jointly purchasing the firearm. He said it was Ewert who purchased the firearm using these copies. The businessman sold the Bushmaster Carbon 15 to Ewert in a separate transaction. The police re-interviewed the federal firearms licensee, who admitted that he sold the Glock pistol to Ewert after being provided the identification documents in the name of the businessman.
This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
