Chicago man sent to prison after Buena Vista County probation revoked

A Buena Vista County gun-trafficking case that began with probation is now ending in prison for 21-year-old David O. Washington of Chicago. The revocation came after Washington was found to have been convicted of a new crime in Illinois, bringing his Iowa supervision to an abrupt stop.

Washington appeared in Buena Vista County District Court in Storm Lake on Monday, May 19, 2026, before Judge Carl Petersen, who imposed Washington’s original sentence after the new Illinois conviction surfaced. The move turned a case that had been managed through probation into a prison matter, a familiar but serious step in felony supervision when a defendant picks up another criminal conviction while still under court order.

The underlying Buena Vista County case dated to 2024, when Washington was convicted of trafficking in stolen weapons, a Class D felony. At sentencing, Judge Nancy Whittenburg suspended a prison term of up to five years and placed Washington on a three-year probation term in Iowa instead. That earlier decision gave him a chance to avoid prison if he stayed in compliance with the court’s terms.

The visible court report does not identify the Illinois offense or say exactly how long Washington will serve now that probation has been revoked. What it does make clear is that the original leniency has been withdrawn and the suspended prison time is now active. In practical terms, the case shifted from supervised release to incarceration because Washington picked up another conviction before finishing probation.

For Buena Vista County, the case underscores how quickly a weapons-related felony can escalate when probation fails. The county courthouse in Storm Lake handles those cases locally through district court, where judges must balance second chances against the risks that come with repeat noncompliance in firearm crimes. In Washington’s case, that balance has now tipped to prison.