(KUOO / SCR) — A Sioux City man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a felon and drug user.
Twenty-eight-year-old Yoni Duenas was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Sioux City. The case originated with a Lyon County traffic stop near Larchwood earlier this year.
Drugs and Loaded Handgun Found During Stop
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa, a Lyon County deputy stopped a vehicle driven by Duenas for an equipment violation shortly before midnight on January 2nd.
Federal prosecutors say Duenas was impaired to the point that he lost consciousness during field sobriety testing. A woman, a four-year-old child, and a one-year-old child were also inside the vehicle.
The deputy reported detecting a strong odor of marijuana, which prompted a probable-cause search. Authorities discovered marijuana, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded handgun inside the vehicle.
According to the criminal complaint filed following the stop, Duenas admitted possessing the firearm and narcotics. Authorities subsequently determined that he was a convicted felon and therefore prohibited from possessing the weapon.
State and Federal Charges Followed
Duenas was initially charged in Lyon County with several state offenses, including dominion or control of a firearm by a felon, failure to affix a drug tax stamp, two counts of child endangerment involving methamphetamine exposure, and third or subsequent offense possession of a controlled substance.
He was also charged with several misdemeanors, including possession of marijuana, operating under the influence, carrying dangerous weapons while ineligible, carrying dangerous weapons while under the influence, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Duenas had previous convictions involving drugs and firearms and had been returned to prison three times for violating the terms of supervised release.
Prosecutors say Duenas possessed the loaded handgun and drugs only 38 days after completing a previous federal sentence.
Duenas remains in federal custody while awaiting transportation to a federal prison.
