William Eschlager.

DELAWARE — A former Ohio State Highway Patrol lieutenant has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years of probation on a theft conviction for stealing a gun seized in another Ohio investigation.

A Delaware County judge last week also sentenced William Elschlager, 48, of Marietta, to perform 200 hours of community service and pay a $1,000 fine.

Elschlager’s attorney, Sam Shamansky, said Monday that the judge was impartial and the sentence was appropriate.

The theft conviction involves a gun from a 2011 case that was kept by Elschlager instead of being returned to its owner. Elschlager was a Highway Patrol sergeant in Delaware County at the time.

Elschlager later became the commander of the Highway Patrol post in Marietta. He is separately accused of stalking a subordinate’s wife after she ended their affair. The gun was found in a search of Elschlager’s home in connection with the stalking case.

He has pleaded not guilty to federal charges including deprivation of civil rights in the stalking case. That trial has been rescheduled for early March.

Source: http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180122/ohio-ex-trooper-gets-30-days-in-jail-for-keeping-gun-seized-in-case