Sterling police on the hunt for local felon wanted in connection with June burglary

STERLING – Police are looking for a longtime Sterling felon charged with burglary in an incident in June, Detective Sgt. Maggie Ellmaker said in a news release Friday.

Erik W. Dunaven, 46, formerly of Rock Falls, is white, 5 foot 11, 170 pounds with brown eyes and a shaved head.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts can call the Sterling Police Department at 815-632-6640 or the anonymous reward tip line, Whiteside County Crime Stoppers, at 815-625-7867.

According to court records, Dunaven also was charged Nov. 9 with aggravated DUI involving drugs, a felony, and DUI drugs and driving on a revoked license, both misdemeanors. He was freed Feb. 8 on a $10,000 recognizance bond and has a pretrial conference Wednesday in Whiteside County Court.

Dunaven was sentenced April 28, 2015, to two and a half years in prison for theft. Another felony theft charge in another case was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

He was sentenced Jan. 7, 2011, to four years probation for burglarizing a store in Northland Mall. One count of harassing a witness was dismissed for lack of evidence.

He violated his probation a month later and was sentenced Sept. 2, 2011, to seven years. He appealed to have the sentence reconsidered and won the appeal. On Oct. 10, 2013, he was re-sentenced to six years and three months in prison.

On April 13, 2007, Dunaven was sentenced in Lee County to three years for destroying evidence. Charges of kidnapping, unlawful restraint and resisting an officer were dismissed per his plea agreement.