Man Who Fired a Handgun into the Street Found in Possession
A methamphetamine dealer who fired his gun at a Cedar Rapids gas station pled guilty on Aug. 1, 2018, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Jerry Dean Love, age 39, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of distribution of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a felon.
In a plea agreement, Love admitted that on Oct. 26, 2016, he sold an ounce of ice methamphetamine at his house in Cedar Rapids to an undercover police informant. On February 6, 2017, Love drove to the Guppy’s on the Go on Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids while carrying a.45 caliber pistol. Love got out of his truck, approached the store, and fired his pistol into the street. Love was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing guns.
Love then drove to Casey’s General Store on 33rd Avenue SW. Approximately one hour after Love fired his pistol, police officers spotted him in his truck at Casey’s and repeatedly ordered him to get out of the truck. Love stayed in his truck for over ten minutes. Officers then broke Love’s truck windows and sent a dog into the truck to get Love to leave the truck.
During Love’s arrest, officers found 19.2 grams of pure methamphetamine and $360 in cash on him. In his plea agreement, Love admitted he intended to distribute part of the methamphetamine. Officers also searched Love’s truck and found the.45 caliber pistol, a loaded.45 caliber magazine, a methamphetamine pipe, and 11 additional.45 caliber cartridges.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Love remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, an $8,250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin A. Lightfoot and Patrick J. Reinert and Special Assistant United States Attorney Drew O. Inman and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Marion Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN"), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 17-CR-12-LRR.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
