“Very Dangerous Person” from Waterloo Sentenced to Eight Years in Federal Prison

A man with multiple prior convictions involving violence was sentenced today to eight years in federal prison. 

Trenton Sliekers, age 28, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea to possessing a firearm as a felon.  Statements at sentencing indicated that Sliekers used the firearm to shoot six times from a motorcycle at a residence that was then occupied by multiple people, including children.  Documents at sentencing noted that one of the bullets lodged in a couch cushion.   

At sentencing, the judge noted that Sliekers was a “violent man” and “very dangerous person” who had at least three prior crimes involving violence and who kept on “committing crime after crime after crime.”  The judge further found that Sliekers posed a “danger” and was “likely to reoffend.”    

Sliekers was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Sliekers was sentenced to 96 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.  Sliekers is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

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.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jake Schunk and investigated by the Waterloo Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

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

The case file number is 20-CR-2062-CJW-MAR.

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