Tried to Go Upstairs in Home with a Loaded Gun After Officers Arrived on Scene
A Waterloo man who unlawfully possessed a loaded gun as a felon and an unlawful drug user was sentenced October 6, 2020, to 15 months in federal prison.
Garrett Tomlinson, age 20, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 26, 2020 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Information disclosed at sentencing showed that, when officers arrived to the scene of a domestic disturbance, Tomlinson tried to run to the upstairs of his residence while carrying a backpack with a loaded gun inside of it. Statements at sentencing also showed that, in addition to possessing the gun unlawfully, Tomlinson also unlawfully sold drugs.
Tomlinson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Tomlinson was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Tomlinson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
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.
This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov/ag/page/file/1217186/download
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jake Schunk and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Waterloo Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-CR-2010.
Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
