DNA on Firearm Left When Fleeing Police Leads to Federal Prison Time for Convicted Felon

A felon who ran from the scene of a traffic stop leaving behind a loaded pistol with an attached high capacity extended magazine was sentenced today to more than five years in federal prison.

Prequondis Lequay Holmes, age 29 from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 2, 2019 guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon.   

In August 2018, Holmes was traveling in a vehicle when it was stopped by the police.  Holmes told the driver to take-off and then ran away, leaving a pistol with an attached high capacity extended magazine in the vehicle.  Law enforcement found Holmes’ DNA on the pistol.  Holmes has previous convictions for intimidation with a dangerous weapon, reckless use of a firearm, assault causing bodily injury, eluding, and flight to avoid prosecution.

Holmes was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Holmes was sentenced to 70 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities.  The United States Attorney’s Office has prosecuted this case with support from our Project Guardian partners. For more information about Project Guardian, please see /media/1122011/download?inline.

Holmes is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily K. Nydle and investigated by a Federal Task Force composed of the Waterloo Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms assisted by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Falls Police Department.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 19-CR-2054.

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