Cedar Rapids man turns himself in after 20 years on the lam for LSD dealing    

Cedar Rapids — It still remains unclear why a Cedar Rapids man, who had been on the lam since 1994, unexpectedly turned himself into the Linn County Sheriff's Office two days after Christmas.

Two decades ago, Matthew Samuel West, 49, went from coaching the drum line after high school to operating a local tie-dye shop and selling shirts at Grateful Dead concerts to selling LSD as part of a conspiracy and being convicted Dec. 2, 1992 in federal court, according to the FBI and court records.

West, listed on the FBI's Most Wanted for the last 20 years, was on bond during an appeal, didn't appear at a hearing to revoke his pretrial release in 1994 and authorities never saw him again until Dec. 27, 2014.

'He showed up with his attorney and said he had an outstanding warrant and wanted to turn himself in,' Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said Wednesday. 'I don't know why and didn't ask. That's something his attorney may be able to answer.'

Gardner added that people frequently turn themselves into the jail when they have an outstanding warrant, but it's 'unusual' for someone to do it 20 years after a warrant has been issued.

Steve Swift, West's attorney when he surrendered, said he wasn't at 'liberty to comment' as to why he turned himself in. Jonathan Hammond, West's current attorney, didn't return a phone message Wednesday.

West, who was convicted at age 27 for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute LSD, was never sentenced but was subject to a mandatory minimum of 10 years. The District Court granted West's motion for a new trial based on a jury instruction that the judge determined lowered the government's burden of proof.

The government appealed and the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision, citing the district judge abused his discretion. West was free on bond during the appeal.

A grand jury then also returned a superseding indictment Sept. 23, 1993 with additional drug and money laundering charges for West. He is accused of conspiracy to distribute LSD from 1990 to 1992. West allegedly sent $3,125 in wire transfers from Cedar Rapids to a co-conspirator in Eugene, Ore. and Fort Stockton and Junction, Texas.

West was never arraigned on those charges, according to court records. A motion to revoke West's pretrial release was filed in 1995 for violations of using a controlled substance and because he was already a fugitive.

Last week, West waived his right to a detention hearing and U.S. Magistrate Jon Scoles granted the government's motion to detain him pending his sentencing. Scoles also set his trial on the charges in the superseding indictment for Feb. 9.