SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — A man has been sentenced after authorities claimed he stole firearms during the clean up of Spencer’s historic flood of 2024.

The US Department of Justice said Hector Benavidez, 38, of Texas, was working as part of a cleanup crew for intense flooding in Spencer, Iowa.

A gun audit at a Spencer store noted two firearms were not accounted for, and Benavidez’s cleaning crew had access to the area where they were being stored. Officials claimed Benavidez admitted to taking the firearms and keeping them in his hotel room. Benavidez was not allowed to possess firearms because he had been convicted of a felony robbery out of Texas.

He was charged with one count of possession of firearms by a felon and one count of possession of stolen firearms and pleaded guilty.

Benavidez was sentenced to 42 months in prison, and he has to serve a two-year term of supervised release after he’s finished his prison sentence.

Iowa News: