Cedar Rapids man convicted of gun charge faces up to 10 years in federal prison

A Cedar Rapids man who unlawfully had a loaded handgun in April pleaded guilty last Friday in federal court.

Darius D. Flowers, 26, pleaded to being a felon and domestic abuser in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

During the plea hearing, Flowers admitted he had previous convictions of two felony offenses and two misdemeanor domestic abuse offenses prior to having the loaded handgun in April 2015.

According to court documents, Cedar Rapids police responded to a call of a man with a firearm at a residence on April 22, 2015. A witness at the scene reported Flowers, who appeared to be intoxicated, arrived at her door, showed her the firearm, and told her to call him if she needed him for anything or needed him to 'handle anything.”

The woman gave police a description of the vehicle in which Flowers was a passenger, according to the documents. Police found the vehicle after a short time later and found the loaded handgun underneath Flowers's seat.

Flowers faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing hasn't been set at this time.