GRAND FORKS (AP) - Federal prosecutors are taking over the case of a man accused of stealing nearly three dozen handguns from the Home of Economy store in this city.

U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley declined comment, and no charges related to the heist were filed in federal court Tuesday. But Assistant Grand Forks County State's Attorney Jason McCarthy said he dropped a state burglary charge against Kelly Stenstrum, 31, of Grand Forks, because Wrigley's office was taking over the case.

Separately, Stenstrum has pleaded guilty to stealing two laptop computers from Fargo businesses. Police said the computers were found in Stenstrum's apartment during a search last July for the Home of Economy guns. He is to be sentenced in the laptops case on March 3.

Stenstrum is the only person charged in what police say was the largest gun heist in the region in memory. On April 24, 2007, someone broke into the variety store through the roof, used a rope ladder to descend 20 feet to the store floor and took the guns. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has been a part of the investigation.

Police said Stenstrum matched the appearance of the burglar seen in a store video. They said at least two of the weapons were found in his apartment. No information has been released on the other 32 guns.

Stenstrum has been jailed in Grand Forks since his arrest last July 20. His district court trial was to begin this week. Stenstrum remains in jail under a federal hold and cannot bail out, McCarthy said.

Home of Economy quit selling guns late last summer, partly because of the burglary and partly because of low profit margins in the gun business, store owners said.