Waterloo Woman, Cedar Rapids Man Plead Guilty To Federal Charges

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A Waterloo woman will spend nearly four years in federal prison for drug trafficking.

Jennifer Klingsmith admitted to conspiring with two other people to sell methamphetamine between November 2019 and February 2020. According to court records, the 36-year-old woman was involved in trafficking more than 200 grams of methamphetamine.

Klingsmith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids on March 15. This week, she was sentenced to serve 46-months in prison.

There is no parole in the federal system. Under terms of her sentencing, Klingsmith must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after she is let out of prison.

UPDATE: Cedar Rapids Man Escapes Custody

An eastern Iowa man has pleaded guilty to escaping from the Waterloo Residential Correctional Facility and for failing to appear in federal court.

Court records show 43-year-old Eugene Davis of Cedar Rapids left the correctional facility to go to work on April 23, but didn't return. He was later arrested in Las Vegas. Prior to Davis's escape, he was served with a subpoena that required him to appear in federal court in Cedar Rapids on April 26, but he failed to show up.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa, Davis admitted to the crimes in a plea agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to escape from federal custody and contempt of court by failing to appear for trial.

Davis remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing at a later date. He faces a possible maximum prison sentence of five years, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for the escape offense. For contempt, Davis faces any term of imprisonment the Court finds appropriate, a maximum fine of $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to five years.