The sentencing hearing for a Marcus man who pleaded guilty to a felony grooming charge has been continued and is now scheduled for next week in Cherokee County District Court.
Forty-three-year-old Travis Lawrence Ehrig is scheduled to be sentenced at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28, in Cherokee.
Ehrig pleaded guilty in June to one count of grooming, a Class D felony, as part of a plea agreement with Cherokee County prosecutors. The agreement called for charges of enticing a minor and dissemination of obscene material to a minor to be dismissed.
The case stems from a March investigation by the Marcus Police Department and Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. According to court documents, Ehrig used a social networking application to communicate with someone he believed was a 15-year-old boy. Authorities said the person was actually an undercover officer.
Court records allege Ehrig engaged in sexually explicit communications, arranged to meet the person and sent explicit photographs. He was arrested following the meeting, and authorities later executed a search warrant at his Marcus residence, seizing electronic devices including cell phones and tablets.
Ehrig had previously pleaded not guilty to the three original charges before entering his guilty plea in June. His sentencing was initially scheduled for Aug. 17, but has since been continued.
The grooming conviction is a Class D felony under Iowa law and carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Court records also show Ehrig was charged in August with a separate Class C felony involving an alleged violation of sex offender registration requirements. He has pleaded not guilty in that case. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Nov. 3, with a jury trial set for Dec. 1 in Cherokee County District Court.
Ehrig is a registered sex offender, according to court documents and previous law enforcement reports. His prior criminal case involved a conviction related to an intent to commit sexual abuse of a child under the age of 13.
