A man from Montgomery County was sentenced Wednesday to more than 5 1/2-years in prison on a weapons charge. U-S District Court Judge John Jarvey sentenced 32-year old Bill Joe Gillespie of Red Oak, to 70 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of firearm by a convicted felon.

An investigation revealed that Gillespie had broken into a Shell gas station in Red Oak, Iowa, during the early morning hours of December 15, 2013, and had taken, among other items, two shotguns. The shotguns were recovered from Gillespie a short time later. Gillespie pled guilty to the charge on May 8, 2014.

The investigation was conducted by the Red Oak, Iowa, Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.