BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. Attorney's Office District of Idaho announced Friday that a Greenleaf man pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and assaulting a federal officer.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) identified 33-year-old Erik Konrad Ehrlin of Greenleaf as a possible suspect in March of 2021 after USFS began investigating vandalism on government property in the Mann Creek Area.
The vandalism found included "SAI" markings, referring to the Sovereign Alliance of Idaho. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Ehrlin was reportedly carrying a firearm on the property and was previously convicted of sexual abuse in the first degree in Oregon, making it unlawful to possess firearms.
A USFS special agent and a Washington County Sheriff's deputy contacted Ehrlin at a campsite in the same Mann Creek Area on April 30, 2021, DOJ said. Ehrlin was observed with a firearm by a deputy during the encounter, before he attempted to flee.
According to the DOJ, Ehrlin got in his truck to make an escape and struck the USFS agent with a part of the truck at the campsite. Shortly after, Ehrlin was taken into custody and investigators found a semi-automatic rifle and a 9mm handgun in his truck.
Following the incident, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtained a search warrant and located a journal including references to the Sovereign Alliance of Idaho in Ehrlin's residence in Greenleaf, Idaho.
Agents also located a .22 caliber rifle and a .22 caliber revolver in the Greenleaf residence, the Department of Justice said.
U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez of the District of Idaho announced Ehrlin is scheduled to be sentenced May 31 and faces a maximum penalty in federal prison of 10 years for the firearm charge and one year in prison for the assault.
The DOJ announcement Friday said a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering statutory factors and the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Ehrlin's case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program.
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