Arsenal in Beaver Co.?!?!

[The_War_Wagon]

Anybody else see this?

Two Arrested After Police Seize Arsenal, Fake Officer Uniforms

Should be interesting to see the details as they come out!

Bob

[normanvin]

My question is . How does a welfare check work? I am assuming that someone calls the pd and says that they have been trying to contact their mother/ father. Then the pd goes to see if they are ok. Can they enter the house?

Do they need someone to call to start the welfare check?

Can a welfare check supersede a search warrant?

Can a person legally own a hand grenade?

[Brick]

Hey War Wagon!

Would you keep an eye on this especially since

"The pair faced multiple charges including convicted felons not to own, or possess a firearm and criminal conspiracy."

It would be interesting to see the disposition of this case.

[melD]

How can memorizing a serial number off a weapon they had no right to be looking at be used to obtain a search warrant? Sounds fishy on one side or the other.

mel

[The_War_Wagon]

Here's some more - with names now, too.

2 In Custody After Weapons Found In Franklin Twp.

WPXI was claiming on the 6pm news though, that drugs (narcotics) had ALSO been found, but NOBODY'S including that on their website... for the moment... so we shall see.

1,000+ rounds... big whoop. Could be 2 bricks of .22LR for all we know.

Bob

[w1cked]

Stash of guns isn't an arsenal. That word is ridiculously overused and its getting to be a pet peeve. Arsenals make guns.

[WhiteFeather]

Going to post this under news, found it was already posted here.


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08231...cmpid=news.xml

Police uncover weapons cache

Police said they found an arsenal of guns, homemade bombs, ammunition and explosive powder inside a Beaver County home occupied by two convicted felons early yesterday.

There was no indication of what the two men intended with the weaponry -- if anything. They had no violent offenses on their records, apparently, but the combustible mix of individuals and devices was enough for Franklin Township police to arrest the pair while continuing to investigate. They were assisted by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents and the Allegheny County bomb squad.

The bomb squad spent much of yesterday removing the cache from the two-story home of Dean Alan Huzinec on Fire Street in a quiet, residential section of the township near Ellwood City.

Franklin police called for expert assistance after stumbling upon the collection of guns, rifles and ammunition, along with surveillance cameras and military and police uniforms, all of which were confiscated. Narcotics and drug paraphernalia were also allegedly found.

Officer Dean Custozzo said the full contents of the home were still being inventoried and nothing from the outside would have caused any suspicion about what Mr. Huzinec, 47, possessed. He was arraigned and sent to the Beaver County Jail along with Dean Timothy Eakin, 43, a visiting friend and transient who had been living with a sister in the Warren, Ohio, area.

"Everyone wants to know why," in terms of reason for the weaponry, Officer Custozzo said. "We're not getting any whys out of them."

Both men have criminal histories, which is part of what prompted the investigation and charges against them.

Franklin Officer Kevin Radford visited Mr. Huzinec's residence Saturday night to follow up on a missing persons report that Mr. Eakin's sister had filed concerning him. The officer said he spotted a 9 mm gun inside the residence, memorized the serial number, and in checking records found that the gun had been stolen and Mr. Huzinec had a criminal past that made it illegal for him to possess it.

Officer Custozzo said Mr. Huzinec had prior convictions in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Texas for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and illegal possession of firearms, although nothing of the magnitude of what was inside his Franklin home. He said Mr. Eakin was also a convicted felon, for DUI and narcotics violations.

A police affidavit said Officer Radford obtained a search warrant at 1:15 a.m. yesterday and officers returned to the home to find a .357-caliber Magnum on Mr. Huzinec and two other guns nearby. After a search discovered more firearms, ammunition, black powder, smokeless powder and fireworks, they requested assistance from the bomb squad.

"We backed off and let the experts handle it. They went through everything," Officer Custozzo said.

According to the affidavit, "multiple assault type weapons were found, various handguns, altered firearms and unlawful possession firearms, ammunition for those weapons, homemade incendiary devices and military type incendiary devices."

Also present was video and audio surveillance equipment, which Officer Custozzo said enabled Mr. Huzinec to see people coming and going outside.

District Judge Janet Swihart set a straight cash bond of $100,000 for Mr. Huzinec on charges of carrying a loaded weapon, owning a firearm as a former convict, criminal conspiracy, receiving stolen property, risking catastrophe, carrying firearms without a license, possession of a prohibited offensive weapon and instruments of crime, and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Mr. Eakin's cash bond was set at $40,000 on charges of criminal conspiracy and having a firearm as a convicted felon.

Relatives of the two men who were reached yesterday were unaware of the charges and at a loss to explain the weaponry.

Mr. Eakin, an Army veteran, did not have his own home and apparently had been doing electrical work in Ohio, according to his father. Mr. Huzinec was on disability from a back injury suffered years ago, family members said. He had no military service.

"I knew he had a lot of guns. He's a hunter ... but the explosives, I don't know nothing about that," said his aunt, who did not provide her name.

More arrests are possible relating to former occupants of the home as the investigation continues, Officer Custozzo said.

[bdevil73]

More on this in today's Beaver County Times

http://timesonline.com/articles/2008...c750544384.txt

Firearms, hand grenades, gunpowder

The Times/CHRISTINA BAIRD
Along Fire Street in Franklin Township, the only sign of a weapon at Dean Huzinec's home is a small cannon statue in the front lawn. Police, however, say they found a long list of weapons, drugs, gun powder and fireworks when they served a search warrant at the home Sunday morning.


By Michael Pound, Times Staff

Published: Monday, August 18, 2008 12:21 AM EDT
FRANKLIN TWP. — A Franklin Township man and an acquaintance have been jailed after township police found a veritable arsenal inside the man’s Fire Street home early Sunday, authorities said.

By the time police and members of the Allegheny County bomb squad left the home of Dean Alan Huzinec, 47, of 832 Fire St. on Sunday morning, they had confiscated between 20 and 25 firearms, hand grenades, gunpowder and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, all of which were turned over to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Huzinec and his friend, New Castle resident Dean Timothy Eakin, 43, each face multiple charges related to the weapons and drug-related offenses.

Police said an anonymous call first brought officers to the home Saturday night. The caller was concerned about the safety of someone at the property, but police reports did not elaborate on the situation.

While there, officer Kevin Radford noticed a 9 millimeter pistol inside the home.

In court documents, Radford wrote that he checked the serial number of the pistol when he returned to the station and found that it had been stolen. Radford also found that Huzinec was a convicted felon, which means he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Radford secured a search warrant, and police returned to the home around 1:30 a.m. Huzinec and Eakin surrendered to police without resistance.

While police held the men, officers found weapons in nearly every room of the house. And while searching a shed in the front yard, they found additional guns, ammunition, gunpowder, fireworks, and audio and video surveillance systems around the property.

The weapons cache was so extensive that police called in the Allegheny County bomb squad to manage the removal of the items.

Officers said they also found marijuana, hashish, crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia inside the home.

Huzinec is charged with receiving stolen property, risking catastrophe, possessing a prohibited offensive weapon, possessing instruments of crime, possessing firearms without a license, possession of controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Eakin, who has no official address, is charged with criminal conspiracy and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Eakin’s prior conviction was drug related. Police did not reveal information about Huzinec’s earlier felony.

Both men were in the Beaver County Jail on Sunday night. Bond information was not available.

Michael Pound can be reached online at mpound@timesonline.com.

Bold is mine. Didn't know we were required to have a license to possess a firearm.

[DaveM55]

Originally Posted by melD

How can memorizing a serial number off a weapon they had no right to be looking at be used to obtain a search warrant? Sounds fishy on one side or the other.

mel

It does sound suspicious, but if it was in plain view they could legally memorize the serial number and run it. Highly doubt it constitutes a search and/or seizure violation.

I'm sure there has got to be more to this story!