A Helena man, who was arrested three years ago after belligerently confronting Nancy Schweitzer on her front porch over her husband's performance as governor, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing a firearm after being previously committed to a mental institution.

Joshua Erickson, 23, is slated to be sentenced on Oct. 9 in federal court in Helena and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He currently is released from custody under special conditions.

According to information from the U.S. Attorney's office, Erickson was involuntarily committed to Warm Springs in 2003, after a district court found he posed "an imminent threat to himself or to others."

Two years later, he showed up on the porch of the governor's mansion, telling the First Lady that he was dissatisfied with the job Gov. Brian Schweitzer was doing. Nancy Schweitzer slammed the door shut and locked it, then called police.

Erickson left the scene, but later was arrested near the Montana Rail Link offices on Railroad Avenue, after he had threatened to throw a chair through the window.

He was charged with a variety of misdemeanors and received a deferred sentence.

His most recent legal problems arose on March 14, when two Helena police officers responded to a complaint of a man in town with a gun. When officers knocked on the door where Erickson was staying, he answered holding a Sig Sauer .45-caliber pistol.

Erickson noted that the there wasn't any rounds chambered in the pistol, and said he thought the police were friends playing a trick on him. He also admitted to flashing the gun earlier in the day at a vehicle that had cut off him and his friend in traffic.

Because of his previous mental institution commitment, it was illegal for Erickson to possess a firearm. Erickson also has a history of charges involving partner/family member assault, disorderly conduct and carrying a concealed weapon, according to published reports.