Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
David Specketer, a 57-year-old from Emmetsburg, Iowa, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison on March 21, 2025. Specketer had previously pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of Emmetsburg High School, which is considered a protected location. His guilty plea took place in federal court in Sioux City on November 14, 2024.
Specketer has a prior federal conviction from 2013 for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. During the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that law enforcement attempted to arrest him at his home on April 15, 2024. The arrest was related to an outstanding warrant for a pending case in Woodbury County dating back to 2022. This case involved charges of possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine.
Upon initial contact at his residence's door, Specketer tried to flee but was apprehended inside his home by law enforcement officers. He was found with approximately one ounce of methamphetamine and admitted he intended to distribute it either partially or entirely.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand presided over the sentencing where Specketer received not only a five-year imprisonment sentence but also an eight-year term of supervised release post-imprisonment. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $10,000 covering fines and court-appointed attorney fees. As there is no parole in the federal system, Specketer will remain in custody under the United States Marshals Service until his transfer to a federal prison is arranged.
