Three Arrested for Possession of Stolen Firearms
Guns Stolen From Harvey PD Range.
Hammond, Indiana – -(Ammoland.com)- Special Agent in Charge Andrew L. Traver of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announces the arrest of Eric Caldwell, a 34 year old Country Club Hills, Illinois resident, for the illegal possession of a firearm by a felon. Caldwell was arrested on May 24, 2010 in Hammond, Indiana.
On Friday May 28, 2010 Caldwell appeared before United States Magistrate Cherry for a preliminary hearing. Caldwell waived a probable cause hearing and was released on an unsecured $20,000 bond.
In addition to Caldwell, Delekeists Q. Walls, a 19 year old Harvey resident and a juvenile offender were also arrested. Walls was charged by the Lake County Indiana Prosecutor’s Office in Crown Point, Indiana with the illegal possession of a machine gun and a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. Walls appeared today before Judge Kathleen Sullivan in the Lake County Indiana Superior Court. Bond was set at $20,000. The Juvenile is being held in Juvenile Detention for Juvenile Delinquency.
If convicted Caldwell could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Walls is facing a Class C Felony punishable by 2 to 8 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The arrests culminated from a burglary investigation of the Harvey Police Department’s firearms range in Harvey, Illinois earlier this month. These subjects were arrested by ATF Agents along with officers from the Harvey Police Department, the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and the Hammond Police Department. As a reminder, in all cases, criminal complaints are an allegation of criminal violations of law, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
On May 20, 2010 ATF posted a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the recovery of firearms stolen from the Harvey Police Department’s storage container at their outdoor firing range in Harvey, IL. Sometime between May 8th and May 10, 2010, individuals broke into a building at the Harvey Police Departments outdoor range and stole 27 firearms comprised of shotguns, rifles and handguns. The firearms stolen also included several weapons classified as being able to fire Fully-Automatic (more than one round with the single pull of the trigger).
To date 17 of the firearms have been recovered through the work of ATF and the Harvey Police Department. The goal of this reward is to facilitate the expeditious recovery of these law enforcement weapons and to ensure the safety of the community. ATF agents and the Harvey Police Department continue to actively pursue all leads and will work with our state and local counterparts to recover these weapons.
Anyone who has information on the location of the remaining stolen firearms or individuals who possess the stolen firearms should contact ATF’s firearms hotline at: 1-800-ATF-GUNS (1-800-283-4867). Persons can also provide anonymous tips or information at the same number.
Questions regarding the ongoing investigation should be directed to the Harvey Police Department directly.