A Rockford man was sentenced to 30 months of probation Wednesday, Sept. 17, after pleading guilty to possessing a stolen handgun after he ran from police during a traffic stop near Byron.

Alexander Kurtz, 19, entered his guilty plea when he appeared before Ogle County Associate Judge Anthony Peska for a pretrial hearing with his attorney, Assistant Ogle County Public Defender Eric Morrow.

Kurtz was charged with the felony offenses of unlawful use of a stolen firearm, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, resisting a peace officer, and illegal possession of ammunition without a Firearm Owner Identification Card – all stemming from an Aug. 19 traffic stop in Byron.

Kurtz was arrested by Ogle County sheriff’s deputies when the vehicle he was a passenger in was stopped at 6:39 p.m. near the intersection of West Blackhawk Drive and South Fox Run Lane in Byron.

Court documents say Kurtz ran away from a deputy while carrying an AREX Delta X 9 mm handgun despite being told to halt by police. Court documents also claim Kurtz knew the gun was stolen.

During Kurtz’s Aug. 20 detention hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Allison Huntley said Kurtz ignored commands to halt and ran through a residential area in Byron with the gun that was loaded with 17 rounds, but had no bullet in the chamber.

Police said the gun was stolen out of Rockford and that Kurtz did not have a FOID card.

On Wednesday, Kurtz, who had been held in the Ogle County Jail since his arrest, pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen firearm, a class 2 felony, and aggravated unlawful use of weapon, a class 4 felony. The other charges filed against him were dismissed.

He was sentenced to concurrent sentences of 30 months’ probation on each count.

As part of those sentences, he was ordered to submit to DNA testing, cooperate and successfully complete any psychological or substance abuse assessments or treatments ordered by the probation department, not possess firearms, ammunition or other “dangerous products” and pay $1,000 in fines and costs.

Kurtz was also ordered to serve 58 days in jail, but received credit for 29 days already served, satisfying that condition of the sentence through the day-for-day requirement.