Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A man from Waterloo, Iowa, has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Daijon Stokes, 32, was sentenced on July 28, 2025, following his guilty plea entered on February 10.
According to information presented at the sentencing hearing, Stokes was stopped by a Waterloo Police Department officer on December 3, 2023. During the stop, he fled in his vehicle through a residential area at speeds nearing 90 miles per hour. The chase ended when Stokes crashed into another vehicle occupied by a woman and two young children. He then attempted to escape on foot before being apprehended by police. Officers found a loaded handgun as well as marijuana and other drugs in his car.
Stokes received his sentence from United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids. He was given 104 months in prison and will be required to serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term. There is no parole available in the federal system.
"This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results," according to the statement.
Stokes remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he is transported to federal prison.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt. The investigation involved a Federal Task Force that included members from the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, and Cedar Falls Police Department.
