A Council Bluffs man has been sentenced to prison in connection with a homemade gun found after he caused a disturbance at a Tama casino in April 2022.
Som Boun Cam, 56, was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release during a hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa in Cedar Rapids.
Authorities said Cam had jiggled hotel door handles and kicked doors at the Meskwaki Casino — conduct prosecutors said amounted to attempting to break into rooms and the defense attributed to the erratic behavior that comes with drug use and mental health episodes.
Cam then “shadow boxed” with a fire extinguisher and paced the hall before becoming involved in a scuffle with another hotel guest.
Medics took him to the hospital for medical treatment and he left behind his backpack, which was later turned into the lost and found.
Inside the backpack, hotel workers found a glass pipe and a loaded homemade double-barreled gun capable of firing .410-bore shells.
Cam returned for the backpack days later, and police found three bags of meth in his coat pocket. He admitted to police he built the weapon himself, according to court records.
ATF workers tested the weapon and it worked as intended, court records state. The gun was categorized as an “any other weapon” which would have required registration through the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
Cam is prohibited from handling firearms because of prior felony drug and weapons convictions, according to prosecutors.
Council Bluffs man sentenced for homemade gun found during casino scuffle
A Council Bluffs man has been sentenced to prison in connection with a homemade gun found after he caused a disturbance at a Tama casino in 2022.
