Middletown man faces gun charges

MIDDLETOWN — Officers seized 14 guns and dozens of boxes of ammunition from a home on Newfield Street following an investigation into firearm thefts, police said Wednesday.

Middletown police arrested a man on Nov. 19 in connection with the theft of several high-powered rifles and handguns, police said Wednesday.

The 49-year-old Middletown man was taken into custody through a joint operation between members of Middletown police’s SWAT team, police negotiators and detectives. Police suspected the man of stealing several firearms from another Middletown residence and obtained a search and seizure warrant for the residence.

On Nov. 19, police closed the surrounding area of the Newfield Street residence and made contact with the man through the police vehicle’s PA system and later by phone, police said. The man complied with their orders and exited the house.

Police said the man had two outstanding warrants and arrested him on charges of second-degree failure to appear. Upon searching the residence, police said they found six handguns, eight rifles, 34 boxes of ammunition and multiple high-capacity magazines.

Court records confirm that the man had previously been convicted of a narcotics-related felony, and police said the man was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Police charged the man with 14 counts of criminal possession of a firearm, one count of illegal possession of ammunition and one count of illegal possession of a high-capacity magazine. The man was held on a $250,000 surety bond. According to court records, the man is scheduled to appear in court in Middletown on Dec. 16.