PORTLAND — A Berwick resident who committed burglaries in the Berwick area during which firearms, among other items, were stolen has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Adam Brake, 29, pleaded guilty on June 5 at U.S. District Court in Portland to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, a Class C felony.

Judge George Z. Singal sentenced Brake on Monday to seven years in prison and two years of supervised release, according to acting U.S. Attorney Richard Murphy in a press release. The maximum sentence is 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

Berwick police arrested Brake during a roadside stop on May 31, 2016, during which he admitted to his involvement in several unsolved burglaries in the area, according to court documents. He later admitted to being involved in eight to 10 burglaries in the area during the previous month.

Brake told police some of the stolen items were traded for heroin in Lawrence, Massachusetts, according to court documents.

Some of the other stolen items were hidden in a wooded area in Berwick owned by Brake’s girlfriend’s parents, according to court documents.

Berwick police retrieved property from six of the burglaries, including electronics, jewelry, alcohol, currency, DVDs, a chainsaw, ammunition and nine firearms, ranging from a semi-automatic pistol to a 12-gauge, pump-action shotgun.

Brake was not allowed to possess firearms as he was convicted on Feb. 14, 2011, at U.S. District Court in New Hampshire, for possession with intent to distribute oxycodone.

The case was investigated by the police departments of North Berwick, South Berwick, Berwick Wells and Eliot; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be reached at 282-1535, ext. 324, or dmendros@journaltribune.com.