Department of Justice

Fayetteville, Arkansas – David Clay Fowlkes, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that James Rhodes, age 35, was sentenced today to 120 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

According to court records, on or about December 9, 2019, Rhodes, having previously been convicted of a felony offense, was arrested for shoplifting and found to possess methamphetamine. During the investigation investigators learned that Rhodes had been staying at a hotel and that additional methamphetamine and a firearm were located in the hotel room. Investigators were able to verify that Rhodes had rented a room at a hotel in Bentonville, Arkansas. A search of the room resulted in Investigators locating a loaded handgun.

A federal grand jury indicted Rhodes in January 2020, and he entered a guilty plea in May 2020. This case was prosecuted as a part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, which is aimed at reducing gun and gang violence, deterring illegal possession of firearms and improving the safety of residents in the Western District of Arkansas. Participants in the initiative include federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

This case was investigated by the Rogers Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant United States Attorney Amy Driver prosecuted the case for the United States.

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