Felon Who Took Cedar Rapids Police Department on Vehicle and Foot Chase Sentenced to Federal Prison

A convicted felon who possessed a firearm and attempted to elude police in his vehicle, and on foot, was sentenced today to more than four years in federal prison.

Daniel Straw, age 33, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 3, 2022 guilty plea to bring a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

At the guilty plea, Straw admitted he possessed a Glock 9mm pistol when he was prohibited because he was previously convicted of a felony, previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, was a drug user, and was subject to a no-contact order.  In July of 2022, Straw took the Cedar Rapids Police Department on a chase while driving his vehicle.  After going over a curb, Straw abandoned his car and took off on foot.  He scaled a fence and ran through residential backyards while being chased by police.  He was ultimately apprehended in the backyard of a residential neighborhood and a loaded Glock 9mm pistol was located in his bag, as well as an extended magazine and marijuana.  

Straw was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Straw was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

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.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force.  The task force is composed of representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

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

The case file number is 22-cr-77-LTS.

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