Sioux City, Iowa – A man working a clean-up crew for the historic June 2024 flooding in Spencer, was sentenced Wednesday (July 16th), to more than 3 years in federal prison.
38-year-old Hector Benavidez, from Donna, Texas, received the prison term after an earlier guilty plea to one count of possession of firearms by a felon and one count possession of stolen firearms.
According to prosecutors, evidence in the case revealed, during a gun audit at a Spencer store, two firearms were missing. Law enforcement and the stores loss prevention personnel discovered that Benavidez had been hired by a cleaning crew to help clean up after the 2024 flooding. This crew had access to the room where the firearms were located and stored. When Benavidez was confronted by law enforcement, he admitted to taking the firearms two days prior and stated they were with his belonging in the hotel room he was staying in. Law enforcement was able to locate and recover the firearms during a search of the hotel room. Benavidez was previously convicted of felony aggravated robbery in Texas.
Benavidez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand to 42 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 2-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Benavidez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was investigated by Spencer Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Department of Justice – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, (ATF). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild.
