A marijuana user from Cedar Rapids who possessed a loaded handgun was sentenced today to one year in federal prison.

Antonio Straight, age 25, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 2, 2009, guilty plea to one count of being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm.

On July 29, 2008, Straight was arrested by Cedar Rapids police officers after he was found with a loaded Cobra .380 caliber pistol in his pocket. Officers came into contact with Straight when they responded to a domestic disturbance call at a residence in the Oakhill/Jackson neighborhood in Cedar Rapids. Straight admitted he had the handgun and was an unlawful marijuana user.

Under federal law, it is illegal for an unlawful drug user to possess a firearm or ammunition. There is no such prohibition under Iowa law.

Straight was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Straight was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, and a special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bob Teig as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a cooperative local, state, and federal program aimed at the enhanced prosecution of gun crimes. The case was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

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