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Five Iowa men sent to prison after bad drug deal

Federal courthouse, Northern District of Iowa in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS – Five men who were involved in an attempted robbery of marijuana that left one man dead were each sentenced today to more than six years in federal prison.

Chase Daniel Zerba, age 21, Cameron Lee Klouda, age 22, both from Coggon, Iowa, and Tyler Michael Clemens, age 24, from Alburnett, Iowa, received prison terms after each had previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana and using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Dillon Craig Beener, age 22, and Kordell Maurice Jones, age 20, both from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received prison terms after each had previously pled guilty to attempted robbery and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Evidence during the case established that on February 1, 2017, law enforcement officers responded to an address in Coggon after receiving a 911 call regarding a shooting. When officers arrived, they located an individual deceased in the front yard of the residence. This individual had been shot at close range with a shotgun.

Prior to the shooting, the victim of the shooting along with Beener, Jones, and another individual, left Cedar Rapids to travel to Coggon. These four individuals intended to meet with Zerba and rob him of marijuana. The four brought a .40 caliber Hi-Point pistol with them to use during the robbery. When they arrived at Zerba’s residence, Clemens, Klouda, and Zerba were all seated in a minivan parked in the driveway. Zerba, Clemens, and Klouda had brought approximately a half-pound of marijuana with them, as well as a loaded shotgun.

Beener approached the minivan and spoke with the three people in it. Beener then returned to his car, and the victim, Beener, and Jones approached the minivan to meet with Zerba, Clemens, and Klouda. The victim was in possession of the pistol and spoke briefly to the occupants of the minivan. He then raised his pistol and demanded that Zerba give them the marijuana. As the group attempted the robbery, one of the men inside the vehicle raised the shotgun and fired one round from the shotgun out the passenger side window into the victim’s head.

During a search of the scene, police located $60 in the victim’s pocket. The .40 caliber Hi-Point pistol was located near his body. The pistol was loaded, with a round in the chamber and the safety off. In the minivan, police located marijuana in a backpack in the left rear seat “stow and go” compartment. The marijuana was packaged in six separate containers and totaled 386.91 grams of marijuana. Police also located multiple jars of marijuana wax in this same backpack.

All five men were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Zerba was sentenced to 91 months’ imprisonment, Clemens was sentenced to 78 months’ imprisonment, and Klouda was sentenced to 96 months’ imprisonment. Klouda was fined $1,000 and all three men were ordered to pay $5,611.56 in restitution. Beener was sentenced to 80 months’ imprisonment and Jones was sentenced to 82 months’ imprisonment. All five men must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“The combination of drugs and guns poses a serious threat to public safety,” said United States Attorney Peter Deegan. “Not only is it a federal crime to possess a gun during a drug deal, it’s a federal crime for a drug user to possess a gun. These sentences hold accountable five men who did both. As a result, a young man’s life was lost to gun violence. Our office is committed to vigorously prosecuting anyone who poses a threat to public safety by mixing guns with drugs.”

During the sentencing hearings, Judge Williams noted that this “was an avoidable accident” where there was “enough fault to go around for everybody.” Judge Williams also noted that this was a “horrible, preventable, tragedy.”

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.

Zerba, Clemens, Klouda, Beener, and Jones are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and investigated by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

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