Has a Prior Felony Conviction for Domestic Assault
A Marion man who was previously convicted of felony domestic assault and who then assaulted his fiancée with a gun was sentenced June 28, 2018, to nine years in federal prison.
Gage Skola, age 28, from Marion, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 19, 2018 guilty plea to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Information at sentencing and in a previously filed criminal complaint showed that Skola got into an argument with his fiancée on Feb. 10, 2018. During the argument, Skola grabbed a gun and pistol-whipped her in the back of the head. The fiancée fled to a neighbor’s house, but Skola followed her and forced his way into the house. In the neighbor’s house, Skola displayed a large silver handgun and pointed it at his fiancée’s head. The neighbor was able to get the gun from Skola, who then fled from the house. Officers later recovered the silver handgun, a.44 caliber Magnum, which had previously been reported stolen.
Later that same night, Skola returned to the neighbor’s house. Police returned to the house and arrested Skola. During a subsequent search of Skola’s home, officers found five spent shell casings from a.44 caliber Magnum.
Skola was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Skola was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Skola is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham and investigated by the Marion Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file numbers are 18-cr-7 and 18-mj-48.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
