Cedar Rapids man sentenced to 15 years for shooting man multiple times

A Cedar Rapids man, who tried to escape police when authorities found him in Illinois for shooting a man in a southeast Cedar Rapids home last year, pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to 15 years in prison last week.

Cordarryl Cortez Smith, 28, pleaded guilty to two of the original charges - assault causing serious injury and made an Alford plea to trafficking in stolen weapons last Thursday in Linn County District Court. He was originally charged with attempted murder and three other gun-related charges. In making an Alford plea, a defendant doesn't admit guilt but admits the prosecution could likely prove the charge during a trial.

Sixth Judicial District Senior Judge Thomas Koehler sentenced Smith to a total of 15 years and then ran another five years for a drug charge in another case concurrent to the 15 years. Smith's deferred judgment in the drug case was revoked.

First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said the issue of intent was contested and based on the evidence this was the best resolution. Smith was at a residence, 1532 Fourth Ave SE, on Sept. 5, 2015 when he got into an argument with Mack Jackson, 38, of Cedar Rapids. Jackson said Smith then pointed a handgun at close at him and fired in his direction but didn't hit him. Jackson said he couldn't determine if Smith intended to hit him.

Maybanks said the intent to cause death is required to prove attempted murder, because at close range he likely could have hit him. This seemed more like intimidation after all the facts came in, he said.

The two then started fighting and during the struggle Smith discharged the gun, shooting Jackson in the neck and twice in one knee. The shot to the neck didn't hit an artery and wasn't considered a serious injury, according to law, but the knee wounds were serious and resulted in a long term injury for Jackson.

Maybanks said earlier this year when Smith was charged that the handgun used by Smith was one of 20 guns stolen from a safe in an unsecured, unattached garage on July 26, 2013. Nobody lived on the property full time where the garage was located. The safe, which was busted open, was returned to the property after the burglary, he said.

Some of the guns from that burglary were recovered on Aug. 8, 2013 after a fisherman caught one of the long guns in the Iowa River, near the Curtis Bridge Road overpass on I-380, Maybanks said. Police then search the river and recovered 10 more long guns but no handguns, until this one turned up.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Smith was found at a residence in Streator, Ill., in February of 2016. He attempted to evade capture in a vehicle and by foot but he was finally arrested 16 miles away in Ottawa, Ill. Smith was then extradited back to Linn County.