Iowa City police gun purchase snags burglar

IOWA CITY - A police gun purchase operation led to multiple charges for one man.

According to Iowa City police criminal complaints, a residential burglary was reported on Dodge Street on Oct. 14. Items taken during that burglary included a MacBook Air computer, police said.

In an unrelated incident, a burglary was reported on Oct. 15. Police said firearms were stolen during that break-in. A controlled weapons purchase was set up and police said 23-year-old Keethan R. Roland, no address given, sold a weapon to officers.

Police followed Roland in the vehicle he left in and took him into custody. A search of the vehicle turned up a bag of marijuana, as well as the stolen computer, police said. Also found in the car was a Dell laptop stolen from a Johnson Street residence on Oct. 13.

Roland has also been connected to a residential burglary on Iowa Avenue on Nov. 2. Police said Roland removed a window screen, entered the residence and stole property, some of which was recovered at a pawnshop. A Crime Scene Technician was able to get fingerprints from the burglary scene, which were ultimately matched to Roland's fingerprints, police said.

Roland has been arrested and faces three counts of third-degree burglary, a Class D felony, and possession of a controlled substance - second offense, a serious misdemeanor. He could face up to 16 years in prison.

Roland was arrested in July 2013 when he fled from the Hope House residential facility and stole a friend's car with another suspect. The men also racked up more than $1,000 in purchases on a stolen credit card. Roland was found driving the stolen car in Illinois and arrested on two counts of second-degree theft, four counts of unauthorized use of a credit card and absence from custody. He ultimately entered into a plea deal that led to a two-year prison sentence. Department of Corrections records show he was released from prison in March 2015.