Coralville woman sentenced to 2 years for firearms-related crime

DAVENPORT — A Coralville woman, convicted of accessory after the fact in a 2020 Iowa City murder, was sentenced Thursday to two-plus years in federal prison for illegally possessing ammunition as a felon.

Whitney Terrion Claybon, 32, formerly of Iowa City, previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to being a felon in possession of ammunition. She was sentenced Thursday to 27 months in prison and ordered to serve three years of supervised release following prison.

Claybon was convicted last year of accessory after the fact in the robbery and fatal shooting of Kejuan Winters, 21, on April 20, 2020. She was sentenced to two years in prison but that was suspended and she received two years of probation.

Claybon admitted she helped one the men, Patrick Bland, 34, of Rockford, Ill., convicted in Winter’s murder, get out of Iowa City and then lied to police about where they went.

In the federal case, authorities identified Claybon during a large-scale straw purchasing investigation. On Jan. 4, 2021, Claybon and John Curtis Vest-Walker, who also was convicted for firearm offenses, went into a local sporting goods store to look for firearms. Claybon then provided money to Vest-Walker and he completed the firearm purchase for her.

Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Claybon’s Coralville residence and found five rounds of ammunition in her purse. Claybon admitted knowing Vest-Walker was “flipping” firearms.

Law enforcement also found the firearm at one of Claybon’s relatives on Jan. 21, 2021.

Vest-Walker, 35, was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for being a drug user in possession of a firearm, false statement during a purchase and conspiracy.

Law enforcement recovered seven firearms purchased by Vest-Walker in the possession of felons, drug users, and others who were prohibited from possessing them. One firearm was recovered following a shots-fired incident.

Investigators determined that Vest-Walker conspired with others to violate federal firearms laws by purchasing firearms for others and falsifying an ATF form, indicating he was the actual purchaser.

The case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department.

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