Mount Vernon Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to a Drug Trafficking Charge

A Mount Vernon, Iowa, man who was found in possession of over one and a half pounds of ice methamphetamine while possessing a firearm as a felon was sentenced on August 8, 2025, to over twelve years in federal prison.

Brice Aron Horton, age 49, from Mount Vernon, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 10, 2025, guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

On May 26, 2024, officers with the Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Police Department stopped a vehicle driven by Horton. Officers searched Horton's vehicle and seized 814.9 grams of ice methamphetamine and a loaded pistol. At the time of the stop, Horton was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. In a plea agreement, Horton admitted that between May 2023 and May 2024 he was responsible for distributing at least 13 pounds of ice methamphetamine in the Northern District of Iowa. Additionally, Horton admitted that during this time he distributed 100 pills containing fentanyl.

Horton was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Horton was sentenced to 147 months' imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Police Department.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 24-CR-99.

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