BREAKING: Over 50 Guns Seized In Welfare Check in Wicomico County
WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. — Fifty guns were seized this morning following a welfare check on Tuesday.
The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Department received a call for assistance from an individual Tuesday night, Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis said. When deputies arrived on the scene, they encountered an individual who was experiencing a medical episode. The individual admitted to ingesting a large amount of cocaine, prompting deputies to conduct a wellness check and search the house.
“Deputies did an exigent sweep of the home, which was wide open, to make sure there were no small children or anything going on inside the house. They saw guns everywhere,” Lewis said.
He explained that under Maryland law, anyone owning or possessing a gun must sign an affidavit stating that they do not use alcohol in excess or controlled substances.
“Based on preliminary information, he had no business being in possession of any guns, in his drug-induced state the other night,” Lewis said. He added, “In fact, he lawfully bought these guns, and we believe he does have several guns registered to him. Then he apparently fabricated these applications in order to purchase these guns, which is another issue, not just at the state level but at the federal level.”
The sheriff’s office reported baseline information and filed for a search warrant.
“We wrote a search warrant that was signed by a judge, authorizing us to seize these weapons until we can determine what charges will be preferred in this particular case,” Lewis said.
As a result, the sheriff’s office seized the guns and 3D printers on Thursday morning.
“We have seized north of 50 guns, and my guess is we have at least seven 3D-printed weapons, but we have hundreds of 3D-printed parts—hundreds of them,” Lewis said. “Every magazine on this table, for all the handguns and rifles, is fully loaded. Off to my right is another cart full of thousands of rounds of ammunition, military cans full of thousands of rounds.”
The department cannot disclose the individual’s identity until the investigation is complete. Lewis said this seizure is unprecedented in his experience.
“I can honestly say that’s the first time we’ve seized a gun collection of this size involving someone who is clearly going to face a criminal indictment. He’s going to be charged criminally—a drug addict, an admitted cocaine addict for nine years—possessing this kind of weaponry. He certainly falsified records to obtain them. No question about it,” he concluded.
WMDT will continue to report on this story as details are made available.
