Altman gets 35 years in prison
FORT DODGE — A sentencing hearing that sent a convicted killer to prison for decades briefly turned into a fracas of yelling and shoving when the slain man’s father suddenly rushed across a Webster County courtroom toward the defendant Monday morning.
A large group of law enforcement officers quickly restored order and removed the distraught father.
When the hearing resumed, Quanterious L. Altman, 19, of Fort Dodge, was sentenced to a maximum of 35 years in prison for killing Adrian L. Grover, of Fort Dodge, on May 13, 2023.
The lengthy prison sentence also includes time for two crimes Altman was convicted of before Grover’s death.
Altman shot Grover in the chest with a handgun at about 2:45 a.m. May 13, 2023, in the 1000 block of 10th Avenue Southwest, according to court records.
He also pointed the gun at a second individual and made a threatening statement to them.
When he was arrested, Altman was initially charged with first-degree murder and first-degree harassment.
On March 1, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed with a dangerous weapon, willful injury causing serious injury while armed with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Those were among the charges Altman was sentenced for on Monday.
Iowa law allows survivors of a homicide victim to make impact statements during a sentencing hearing.
Grover’s father, Ed Brown, was the first to make such a statement during Monday’s hearing.
He walked to the witness stand at the front of the courtroom, carrying a framed poster-size photo of Grover wearing his graduation gown from Iowa Central Community College. He began a short, profanity-laced statement.
Turning to where Altman sat shackled in a jail uniform, Brown said “Look at me (expletive deleted).”
Suddenly, Brown put the photo down, stood up and began walking toward the Altman. Friends and relatives of both Altman and Grover jumped to their feet and moved toward the front of the courtroom. Altman was hustled out of the room by a jailer, while other jailers, Webster County sheriff’s deputies and Fort Dodge police officers moved in to separate everyone. District Court Judge Angela Doyle stood up behind the judge’s bench and ordered the law enforcement officers to clear the courtroom.
Brown was escorted out of the courtroom and out of the courthouse. His yelling and swearing echoed through the building’s central staircase as he left.
Iowa Assistant Attorney General Ryan Baldridge, the prosecutor in the case, said he would be consulting with Webster County Attorney Darren Driscoll about the possibility of filing charges in relation to the courtroom upheaval.
After a break of 10 to 15 minutes, the hearing resumed.
Grover’s mother and sister gave victim impact statements without incident.
Then Doyle issued the prison sentences.
For the crime of voluntary manslaughter while armed with a dangerous weapon, she sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
For the crime of willful injury causing serious injury while armed with a dangerous weapon, she sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
For the crime of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, she sentenced him to five years in prison.
For a May 8, 2023, conviction of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, she sentenced him to five years in prison.
For a May 2023 probation violation, she sentenced him to five years in prison.
Doyle ordered the sentences to be served consecutively. That means Altman will serve a maximum of 35 years in prison.
Doyle said the long prison sentence provides the best chance of rehabilitating Altman, protecting the community and deterring others from committing the same crimes.