DAVENPORT, Iowa — A former Davenport man accused of trying to blow up an apartment where he lived in with his then girlfriend and her young son has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison.
Gramann Barnes, 44, was arrested in April 2016 in Texas, where he fled after stealing a pickup truck from the victim’s father. After returning to Iowa for a court appearance, he admitted that he had rigged the apartment to explode, says U.S. Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel.
On March 15, 2016, Barnes assaulted his ex girlfriend and injured her child. The two left the apartment but when they returned, she found that the oven was glowing, the gas stove burners were on, and all the knobs had been removed from the unit. Inside the oven was a roll of burning paper towels.
Barnes had also trashed the apartment, leaving behind several broken dishes and household items, and stolen jewelry.
Two upstairs neighbors were home at the time the oven was turned on, police discovered.
After his prison term, Barnes will serve three years of supervised released and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
