Home searched in federal firearms case, subject has Xavior Harrelson connection

NEW SHARON, Iowa (KCRG) - Federal officials executed a search warrant at a home in New Sharon on Tuesday, with state investigators tagging along since the man involved has a connection to Xavior Harrelson.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives searched a home at 104 South Elm Street in New Sharon. The search warrant was executed at around 6:45 a.m, according to the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office.

The search was related to an investigation stemming from federal firearms charges filed against James Lowe in July. Lowe was charged with possession of a National Firearms Act firearm not registered to the possessor after a vehicle he was driving was found to allegedly contain a sawed-off shotgun. The firearm discovery was made after Iowa County Sheriff’s deputies found Lowe and his vehicle in Marengo on May 29.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation initially said that the search was related to the Xavior Harrelson case. A DCI official later clarified that state agents were present “to assist if there would be anything related to Xavior’s case. To say it is directly related would not be accurate.”

The Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office said Harrelson, 10, went missing at around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 27, from his home in Montezuma, just days before his 11th birthday. Searches in the following weeks turned up little evidence in the case, until September 30 when a farmer reported finding human remains about three miles from Montezuma. Those remains were confirmed to be Harrelson’s on October 15.

Previous court filings said that Lowe at one time had been in a relationship with Harrelson’s mother, Sarah Harrelson. The filing also said that they lived together for a period of time in the past before Harrelson’s disappearance.

ATF spokesman Jon Ham said that their investigation had a specific focus on the federal firearms charge. His federal agency and the Iowa DCI likely would have coordinated anyway in such an investigation, but said that it was even more important to coordinate in this case due to the ongoing Harrelson case.

“I will say that had anything been discovered, or information pertaining about the missing person’s case, DCI would have then had to get their own search warrant and go through the state courts,” Ham said.

The Iowa DCI said that no direct evidence related to Harrelson’s death and disappearance was found during Tuesday’s search.

ATF has concluded its search of the property including gathering evidence related to the firearms investigation, according to Ham. The agency has no plans to return.

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