Rural Decorah man sentenced in Federal Court on weapon possession charge

A rural Decorah man accused of making threatening phone calls to Winneshiek Medical Center last year has now been sentenced on a federal charge in Cedar Rapids.  60-year-old William Harrison Junior in 2019 entered an Alford guilty plea under which he agreed to be sentenced on a charge of second degree harassment, without admitting guilt, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.  However, Harrison was then turned over to federal officials on weapon-related charges.

Now Harrison has entered a plea agreement to those federal charges, admitting that he purchased a rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition in Onalaska.  Law enforcement officers served a search warrant on Harrison at his home in November of 2018 and located the 200 rounds of ammunition that Harrison had purchased in Wisconsin.

US District Court Judge C.J. Williams has now sentenced Harrison to over ten months of imprisonment and ordered him to pay $10,000 for his court-appointed attorney. There is no parole in the federal system. Harrison must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Harrison also is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.