Aurora cocaine dealer who skipped trial sentenced to 20 years in prison
An Aurora cocaine dealer who skipped out on his trial has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Eric Chapa, 30, of the 1100 block of Trask Street, escaped from his electronic monitoring device in August 2014 and has not been found.
He was convicted in January of possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced last week by Kane County Judge Clint Hull.
Chapa must serve 75 percent, or 15 years, of his sentence once he is caught.
"Mr. Chapa will resurface at some point, and when he does he will realize that he compounded his problems by fleeing," Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon said.
According to prosecutors, Aurora police executed a search warrant at Chapa's residence Feb. 20, 2014, seizing more than 600 grams of cocaine and 100 grams of marijuana. Chapa told police he earned a $3,000 monthly profit from selling cocaine, prosecutors said.
Chapa posted 10 percent of his $75,000 bail and on Aug. 15, 2014, removed the court-ordered GPS device and fled.
Anyone with information about Chapa should call Aurora police at (630) 256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000.