Marijuana User Sentenced to Nearly Two Years in Federal Prison for Unlawfully Possessing a Gun

Ran From Police During a Traffic Stop and Attempted to Hide the Gun by Throwing it into Bushes

An illegal user of controlled substances who unlawfully possessed a handgun was sentenced today to nearly two years in federal prison.

Torey Dunn, age 19, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a July 1, 2019, guilty plea to being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm.

Information at sentencing showed that on August 2, 2018, Dunn was a passenger in a car that was stopped shortly after midnight by the Waterloo Police Department.  As the car stopped, Dunn and another man got out of the car and ran in separate directions.  Officers chased Dunn and caught him.  Officers also found a loaded 9mm handgun in the bushes along the path Dunn ran.  Dunn told officers he had the gun for protection.  Dunn admitted he smoked marijuana and he tested positive for marijuana.

Dunn was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Dunn was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Dunn is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.