A Stuart man was sentenced in federal court Thursday for shooting at law enforcement last October.

United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announces that 53-year-old Randall Lee Comly was sentenced in the Southern District Court of Iowa to 40 years in federal prison following his guilty pleas to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm. At sentencing the prosecuters presented evidence that Comly, a multi-time convicted drug dealer, attempted to murder four law enforcement officers.

On October 17th, 2019 officers with the Stuart Police Department and Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office went to Comly’s residence to serve an arrest warrant for second-degree arson and a probation violation. Comly ambushed the officers, jumped out of a closet, and emptied his gun by firing six rounds at a Sheriff’s Deputy who stood only a few feet away. During the exchange of gunfire two Sheriff’s Deputies were shot, and Comly then barricaded himself inside the apartment. A hostage negotiation team was called and Comly eventually gave himself up and was arrested just before midnight.

A search of his residence revealed methamphetamine and items used in drug trafficking. The investigation was spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Kansas City Field Division, with support from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Adair and Guthrie County Sheriff’s Offices, and the Stuart Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa with assistance from the Adair County Attorney’s Office.