UPDATE 4 P.M.
An ex-Bald Knob police chief pleaded guilty Monday to possessing a stolen firearm during a plea hearing in the Eastern District Court of Arkansas, a U.S. attorney said.
Erek Balentine, 31, also agreed to pay more than $12,000 in restitution to Progressive Insurance for filing a fraudulent insurance claim regarding an incident in which his personal truck caught fire.
At the hearing before U.S. District Judge Brian Miller in Little Rock, it was determined that Balentine was a willing participant in causing damage to his truck and that he tried to sell a department-owned firearm that was to be auctioned off for charity, according to a news release.
Possessing a stolen firearm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $25,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Arkansas State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Givens.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
— Jaime Dunaway
EARLIER
A former Bald Knob police chief is due in federal court where he's expected to accept a plea deal regarding stolen property.
The Daily Citizen reports that prosecutors say Erek Balentine is to appear in court Monday afternoon in Little Rock.
Defense attorney Paul Younger has said Balentine will plead guilty to possession of stolen property and is expected to receive probation.
Younger says the charge resulted from an investigation into the burning of Balentine's personal vehicle in September. Younger said that during the arson investigation, investigators learned that while Balentine was Bald Knob police chief he used a department-owned firearm for his personal use and tried to sell it. The firearm had been donated to the city by a former officer to be auctioned off for charity.
—The Associated Press