Gifford sentenced to up to 35 years
A Des Moines man convicted of robbing and shooting a man on Fort Dodge’s west side in 2020 has been sentenced to up to 35 years in prison for his crimes.
Stoney Rock Gifford, 33, was convicted in January by a Webster County jury of a bevy of felony offenses related to the robbery, including:
• First-degree robbery, a Class B felony
• Intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a Class C felony
• Going armed with intent, a Class D felony
• Control of a firearm by a felon, a Class D felony
Senior District Court Judge Thomas Bice sentenced Gifford on Monday after denying his motion for a new trial.
For the robbery conviction, Gifford was sentenced to an indeterminate term of up to 25 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 70% of the sentence to be served.
For intimidation with a dangerous weapon, he was sentenced to up to 10 years, with a minimum of five years served. Bice ordered these two sentences to be served consecutively.
For each of the Class D felonies, Gifford was sentenced to up to five years in prison, to be served concurrently with the other two sentences.
In total, Gifford will spend at least 22 and a half years in prison.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 22, 2020, Gifford approached victim Wallace Brady, who was sitting in the front seat of his car with the door open in the 100 block of Avenue M West. According to witness testimony, Gifford walked up from behind the vehicle, placed himself between the door and the car, held a gun to Brady’s head and said some variation of “What are you doing here?” and “Give me all of your stuff.”
When Brady refused to hand over the cash and drugs he admitted to having on him that night, Gifford angled the gun down toward Brady’s feet and fired one shot, hitting Brady on the left side of his knee. Brady was transported to UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries and was released a few hours later.