Greenleaf Man Could Get Ten Years for Illegal Possession of Guns

BOISE, Idaho (KLIX)-A convicted sex-offender could be facing a decade behind bars for illegally having firearms and assaulting a federal law enforcement officer. According to acting U.S. Attorney Rafael Gonzalez, Jr., Erik Konrad Ehrlin, 33 pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and assaulting a federal officer. In 2021 the U.S. Forest Service started an investigation into vandalism in the Mann Creek Area that included graffiti that said "SAI" (Sovereign Alliance of Idaho). Investigators identified Ehrlin as a possible suspect in the vandalism that also included threats towards federal employees. Ehrlin has a prior criminal history out of Oregon where he was convicted of first degree sexual abuse. In April of 2021 a Washington County Sheriff's deputy and special agent with the Forest Service caught up with Ehrlin at a campsite in the Mann Creek area. The two noticed the man had a gun in his possession. According to court records, Ehrlin tired to get away in his truck and hit the Forest Service agent. Eventually the officers were able to arrest Ehrlin. Further investigation found Ehrlin had a rifle and handgun in his possession at the campsite. A search of his home by agents with the Federal Bureau o Investigation found another rifle and handgun along with a journal that included references to the Sovereign Alliance of Idaho. As a convicted felon, Ehrlin was not allowed to have any firearms. The Greenleaf man could get up to ten years in federal prison on the firearms charge and one year for the assault on the officer. He will be sentenced at a later date.