A Bethlehem man who stole a gun that caused a whole lot of trouble at Northampton County Prison in early January was arrested today and sent to prison pending further court action, city police said.

Chad Jay Van Gordon, 23, of 47 E. Goepp St., has been charged with stealing a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun from another person with whom he lived.

Van Gordon, in turn, sold the gun Christian Neith, who had the gun tucked inside his waistband when he was arrested on Dec. 29. But police officers and prison guards never discovered the weapon, despite four different searches after his arrest and during his processing into prison in Easton.

The gun was found on Jan. 5, hidden behind a filing cabinet in the prison’s intake unit. The discovery prompted a prison lockdown, changes to security procedures and personnel at the prison and disciplinary action for the Bethlehem officers who initially arrested and processed Neith.

Neith, who was arrested again in February for bringing the gun into prison, told police that he bought the gun from Van Gordon for $200 in an alley behind the 7-Eleven convenience store at 101 E. Broad St., Bethlehem, according to a news release city police issued today.

Van Gordon was charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and carrying firearms without a license. He was arraigned in front of District Judge Roy A. Manwaring, who set bail at $30,000.