Bruce Terrell Sanford, Possession of Firearm by Felon, Iowa 2022

Two Waterloo men, Bruce Terrell Sanford, 32, and Houston Simmons III, 26, have been sentenced to prison terms after being found guilty of possessing a firearm as felons in Waterloo, Iowa.

According to court records, Sanford and Simmons III were sitting in a car outside of a club in Waterloo on September 5, 2021, when officers were called to the scene. Officers searched the car and found a loaded Taurus PT111 G2 A, 9-millimeter pistol in the passenger door compartment next to Simmons III. The pistol was later determined to be stolen.

Officers also found a burnt marijuana roach in the center console area of the car, a baggie of marijuana in the driver’s side door, an opened bag containing marijuana in the trunk of the vehicle, and a bag of marijuana in Sanford’s pocket. Sanford and Simmons III both admitted to possessing the pistol.

Sanford was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his previous convictions in Black Hawk County, Iowa, for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver in 2010, burglary in the third degree in 2010, and criminal mischief in the second degree in 2011. Simmons III was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his previous conviction in Black Hawk County, Iowa, for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver in 2019.

Sanford was sentenced on April 27, 2023, to 70 months’ imprisonment, while Simmons III was sentenced to 44 months’ imprisonment. Both men were ordered to serve a 3-year term of supervised release after their prison terms.

The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program aiming to reduce violent crime and gun violence in communities. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department.

Sanford and Simmons III are currently being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.

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