Demontrae Poole, a 20-year-old from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm while actively using marijuana. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Linda R. Reade, marks the latest enforcement under a nationwide push to crack down on gun violence.
Poole pleaded guilty on September 21, 2017, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal drug user. Court records show he admitted to possessing a Jimenez Arms JA380, .380 caliber pistol on May 4, 2017, while using marijuana regularly. Federal law bars drug users from possessing firearms, a fact Poole acknowledged in court.
The sentencing revealed a troubling criminal pattern. Poole has two prior convictions for interference with official acts, incidents during which law enforcement officers sustained injuries. Prosecutors emphasized his repeated disregard for authority and court-imposed restrictions, calling him a danger to public safety.
Originally released pending trial, Poole violated multiple conditions of his pretrial release, including attempting to remove his GPS monitoring device. That breach landed him in U.S. Marshals custody, where he remains until transfer to a federal prison. He will also face three years of supervised release after completing his sentence—parole is not an option in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyndie Freeman and investigated by the FBI, Cedar Rapids Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was brought under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative reinvigorated in October 2017 by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to combat rising violent crime through coordinated law enforcement action.
For court records, visit the Northern District of Iowa’s electronic filing system. The case file number is 17-cr-0064. Follow updates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
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