Possessing Guns Leads to More than Five Years in Federal Prison for Two Convicted Felons Traffic Stop in Waterloo Led to Discovery of Two Guns

Two convicted felon who each possessed a gun were sentenced on November 26, 2018, to nearly six years apiece in federal prison.

Tereall Deshawn Green, age 24, and Javonta Juan Herbert, age 26, both from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison terms after each previously pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Information from the sentencing hearing and prior court hearings showed that on January 13, 2018, Green and Herbert were passengers in a car that the Waterloo police stopped shortly after 1:00 a.m.  During the course of the stop, officers found a gun stuck in the front of Green’s pants and tied to a drawstring in the pants.  Officers also found a gun on the backseat floor where Herbert had been sitting and hiding under his foot.  After Green was arrested, he slipped out of his handcuffs and ran from officers but was apprehended a short time later.  Both Green and Herbert had prior felony convictions.

In 2012, Green was convicted in Iowa state court of intimidation with a dangerous weapon and willful injury causing serious injury.  In that case, Green got a gun out of a car and fired shots at a group of people.  Green hit two people, one person in the abdomen and one in the arm.  The person who was struck in the abdomen required surgery because the bullet hit the person’s liver.

In sentencing Herbert, the court noted he had a long criminal history that showed he was a danger to the community and likely to commit further crimes.  Herbert’s criminal conduct began as a juvenile and continued as an adult with multiple burglary and theft convictions.

Green and Herbert were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Each was sentenced to 71 months’ imprisonment.  They 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), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.   The Department of Justice has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority.   In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, the Department of Justice announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.

Each 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 Anthony Morfitt 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.