(Cedar Rapids, IA) — A federal judge has sentenced a convicted felon to three years in prison for illegal gun possession. Twenty-eight-year-old Alex Richard VanErp of Faribault, Minnesota had pleaded guilty last September. Authorities had identified VanErp as being involved in multiple thefts in Wisconsin. Prairie du Chien police posted a video from one of the theft on Facebook and employees at a store in Fayette County, Iowa called 911 to report VanErp was there, making a purchase, at the time. The suspect tried to run away when law enforcement officers arrived but he was taken into custody. He had drugs and one of the stolen firearms in his possession when he was arrested.
