An admitted drug user who possessed a weapon was sentenced yesterday to over four years in federal prison.

Elijah Devonn Oshay Morse, age 20, from Cedar Rapids, received the prison term after a June 8, 2015, guilty plea to a one-count Indictment charging him with being an unlawful user of a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm.

At the guilty plea hearing, Morse admitted that, on December 4, 2014, he possessed a loaded .357 handgun. He also admitted that he was a frequent user of marijuana. During sentencing it was revealed that Morse was arrested on December 4 on an outstanding warrant alleging that he fired several shots from the .357 at two individuals standing outside on a porch in Cedar Rapids. He was 19 at the time of this shooting. No one was injured but there were also people inside the residence including children. At the time of his arrest, in addition to possessing the loaded handgun Morse possessed a large sum of money and 13 grams of cocaine.

Morse was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. He was sentenced to 57 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Morse 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 Steve Young and investigated by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 15-CR-00032.