Felon in Possession of Firearm Receives Over 3 Years in Prison

A man who led Cedar County area police on a ten-minute pursuit was sentenced on April 26, 2018, to more than 3 years in federal prison for possessing a gun that was found in the car after the police chase.

Butchie Poole, age 38, from Waverly, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 1, 2017, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

At the guilty plea, Poole admitted that he possessed the firearm despite being a convicted felon.  At sentencing, the judge stated that it had viewed dash camera footage showing Poole fleeing from officers.  The judge noted that Poole was driving in excess of the speed limit, appeared to be under the influence of some substance, and that the pursuit ended only after officers had to physically force Poole’s car off the road.  After the pursuit ended, Poole got out of his car but was noncompliant as he was arrested at gunpoint.  The gun was found inside the car after Poole was arrested.   

Poole was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Poole was sentenced to 37 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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.

Poole is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin Lightfoot and investigated by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, the Tipton Police Department, and the Mechanicsville Police Department. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 17-CR-77.

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