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Press Release

Local Man Convicted of Felon in Possession of a Firearm

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa – On November 6, 2018, following a two-day trial, a jury found Ryan Nicholas Haynes, age 28, of West Des Moines, Iowa, guilty of one count of felon in possession of a firearm. Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Stephanie Rose will be set at a later date.

Haynes was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm on July 29, 2017. During trial, the government presented evidence that Haynes was present on a party bus that was stopped for a traffic violation in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Officers smelled marijuana coming from the bus, so they removed the passengers to investigate further. When Haynes was stepping off the bus, he removed marijuana from his pocket and handed it to one of the officers. A pat-down search of Haynes revealed a firearm in his pants. Before officers could recover the firearm, Haynes ran from them. After a short foot chase, officers apprehended Haynes near 16th Street and Grand Avenue. The firearm was recovered in a flowerbed outside a townhome in the 1600 block of Grand Avenue. This was right next to where Haynes had jumped a fence while running from officers. The firearm was loaded with 14 live rounds of ammunition. It was identified as a Glock, Model 22, .40 caliber handgun.

Haynes is in federal custody pending imposition of sentence. Felon in possession of a firearm is punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Contact

Rachel J. Scherle
515-473-9300
Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov

Updated November 9, 2018

Topic
Firearms Offenses