Man Who Ran from the Cops and Tried to Ditch a Gun Sentenced to More Than Two Years in Federal Prison

A Waterloo man who possessed a gun after two previous felony convictions and ran from the police during a traffic stop was sentenced October 16, 2018, to more than two years in federal prison.

Denzale Ratliff, age 24, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 25, 2018 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Ratliff was in possession of a gun while traveling in a car in Waterloo.  Waterloo police officers stopped the car.  Ratliff got out and ran from officers into a nearby residential area.  Ratliff dropped the gun in the backyard of one of the houses.  Officers recovered the gun and caught Ratliff.  Ratliff had two prior felony convictions for burglary in state court.

Ratliff was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Ratliff was sentenced to 28 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.

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.

Ratliff 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 Emily K. Nydle and investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Waterloo Police Department. 

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

The case file number is 18-cr-02017.

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