Clifford Smith Pleads Guilty to Shotgun Discharge, Cedar Rapids IA,…

Clifford Smith, a 51-year-old resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has entered a guilty plea in federal court for his role in a shocking incident where he discharged a shotgun into an apartment above his own. The blast caused significant damage and prompted a police investigation.

The court heard that Smith, who had previous convictions for drug offenses in 1992 and 2003, admitted to being a unlawful user of marijuana. On July 4, 2013, the day of the incident, Smith was found living in a downstairs apartment on Wilson Avenue. His illegal activities reached a crescendo when he discharged the shotgun, which penetrated the floor above.

Assistant United States Attorney C.J. Williams is prosecuting the case, while the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Cedar Rapids Police Department conducted the investigation. Smith now faces a severe punishment, including a possible maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will occur after a presentence report is prepared. Until then, Smith remains in custody of the United States Marshal.

For more information on this case, please visit the court file at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl, where the case file number is 13-CR-00071.

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