CEDAR RAPIDS – An Iowa man who escaped from federal custody at the Gerald R. Hinzman Center in Cedar Rapids pled guilty on May 10, 2019, in federal court in Cedar Rapids. Shaquandis Thurmond, age 25, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was convicted of escape from federal custody.
In a plea agreement, Thurmond admitted that he had previously been convicted of possessing an unregistered short-barreled shotgun. On August 26, 2018, he was in federal custody at the Gerald R. Hinzman Center pursuant to federal court order as a condition of his supervised release sentence. Thurmond left the facility to attend religious services and never returned. Thurmond was arrested on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa on March 18, 2019.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Thurmond remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Thurmond faces a possible maximum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment. In the plea agreement Thurmond agreed any term of imprisonment will be imposed to be served consecutively to his supervised release revocation sentence.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Reinert and was investigated by United States Marshals Service, the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force, with the assistance of the University of Northern Iowa Police Department.
