Gun-Toting Felon Who Ran from Officers Pleads Guilty in Federal Court

A felon who ran from officers and dropped a gun pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Darrell Jawon Wilson, age 18, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Evidence at a prior court hearing demonstrated that on October 1, 2025, in Waterloo, Iowa, officers went to a liquor store because of a report that two men, wearing masks, were walking around the area and looking in cars. Officers arrived and located the two men. One man, later identified as Wilson, ran. An officer chased him and saw him pull out a gun from his waistline. Wilson fell and dropped the gun. After Wilson was taken into custody, officers retraced the path of the pursuit and found the gun. Wilson has felony convictions for conspiracy to commit a forcible felony and going armed with intent.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Wilson remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Wilson faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Waterloo Police Department.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 25-CR-2067. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.