TUCSON, Ariz. - Today, Howard James Sawyer, 41, of Iowa City, Iowa, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cindy K. Jorgenson to 139 months in prison. Sawyer had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer.
On Feb. 2, 2015, Sawyer was incarcerated in the federal penitentiary in Tucson, Ariz., because of a conviction for failure to register as a sex offender. When informed that his request for a housing reassignment was denied he became angry and punched a Corrections Officer in the eye. The attack caused the officer to suffer permanent vision impairment.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Jesse Figueroa, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Tucson.
CASE NUMBER: CR-15-00897-CKJ-EJM
RELEASE NUMBER: 2016-013_Sawyer
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
