Task force rounds up 10 federal gun offenders in Cedar Rapids

The Cedar Rapids Safe Streets Task Force is in its sixth year and officials say they continue to put gun offenders behind bars as the result of working with local, state and federal agencies to make the streets safer.

U.S. Attorney Kevin Techau said in the last few weeks 10 individuals have been charged in federal court as a result of task force efforts.

'This works best when we work together,” Techau said during a news conference Thursday. 'We want prohibited persons to know they will pay a heavy price – time in federal prison, if they possess firearms.”

Techau explained 'prohibited” are those who cannot legally have firearms if they are illegal drug users, have no contact orders, convicted of domestic violence, convicted of a felony, a fugitive from justice and undocumented immigrants.

Safe Streets, headed by the FBI, combats guns and other violent crimes by working with local, state and federal agencies to maximize intelligence gathering. The Task Force was formed in late 2009 following an increase in violent crime in the Cedar Rapids area. The task force is comprised of the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, 6th Judicial District Department of Correctional Services and the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said the gun violence in the city has decreased because of the efforts of the task force. He was referring to the 'unprecedented” spike in gun violence last year. Jerman said in the last 12 months 89 firearms have been taken off the street, just by patrol officers. All of these are not just from the task force activity.

FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Gabriel Polling, who heads the task force, said the 10 charged are just a good example of how the collaborative efforts works. An important part of the efforts includes building ties in the community and getting help from people who live in the neighborhoods and learn about or see illegal activity.

Jerman also stressed that information from the community was vital to the process of making theses arrests.

The firearms prosecution go through federal court because the penalties are higher than in state court. The federal charge can carry up to 10 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine. If there are three or more prior felony convictions of a crime of violence or drug trafficking can carry a mandatory 15 year sentence.

Some of these arrests have been reported within the last year in some of the gun violence Jerman mentioned.

Two of the 10 offenders, Scott A. High, 39, and Herbert A. Feickert, 61, both of Cedar Rapids, just appeared in federal court this week. They each were charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On January 2, High is accused of possessing three handguns and three long guns, along with ammunition. Feickert is accused of possessing additional firearms at his residence on January 3. Both are convicted felons and are suspected of stealing the guns which were reported in an earlier burglary, according to court documents.

Others charged are:

-Darius Flowers, 26, of Cedar Rapids, has been charged with one count of being a felon and domestic abuser in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

-Bryan Gall, 24, of Cedar Rapids, charged with one count of being a felon and unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm in April.

-Anthony Steven Hall, Jr., 30, of Cedar Rapids, charged with one count of being a felon and unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm in April.

-Kenyatta Abdul Aziz Hill, 29, of Cedar Rapids, charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm on December 26, 2014.

- Mitchell Demarcus Hall, 25, of Cedar Rapids, charged with one count of being a felon and unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm in May.

-Jerald Sims, 38, of Cedar Rapids, charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm on Sept. 19, 2014.

-Fabian Taylor, 27, of Cedar Rapids, charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm on July 20, 2014.

-Marcus A. Thomas, 22, of Cedar Rapids, charged with one count of being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm and ammunition on March 16