Man gets suspended prison for domestic incident where gun fired

Jan. 19—OTTUMWA — A man police said fired a gun during a domestic incident with his girlfriend will avoid prison time if he completes five years of probation and treatment programs, according to a plea agreement adopted by a judge this month.

Cory Lee Thompson was sentenced to a total of 38 years in prison, all of which was suspended as part of the agreement with Wapello County Attorney Reuben Neff. The agreement settles multiple charges connected with an Aug. 29, 2023 domestic incident in Ottumwa.

A female victim showed up at the Ottumwa Police Department lobby to report that she had been assaulted by Thompson while he was armed with a firearm. Police ultimately found Thompson at storage units located at 309 S. Iowa Ave. and were able to arrest him without further incident.

Court filings from police say that during a verbal argument between Thomson and his girlfriend, Thompson had displayed and fired a sawed-off shotgun. Thompson, who police say was suicidal and homicidal during the incident, had also suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his face. He was treated at the hospital before being transported to the Wapello County Jail.

Thompson was ordered to complete a halfway house program, and will remain in jail until a bed is available. Once released from jail, he will be required to wear a GPS monitor for six months and he is prohibited from having physical contact with the victim and her children for one year.

As part of the deal, Thompson ultimately pled guilty to intimidation with a dangerous weapon, possession of short-barreled rifle, domestic abuse assault second offense, possession of weapon by domestic abuse offender, first-degree harassment, two counts of possession of ammunition by domestic abuse offender, trafficking stolen firearm, domestic abuse assault with dangerous weapon and use of dangerous weapon in a crime.

Judge Michael Carpenter imposed the sentence on Jan. 3.

Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, and on Threads @Kyle_Ocker.