Posted on 03/23/2006 10:39:46 AM PST by holymoly
OGUNQUIT — Ogunquit (Maine) Police Officer Matt Buttrick got a bit of a surprise when he visited a residence on Adams Lane on March 3. He went there to check for the presence of someone wanted because of an outstanding warrant, but came away not only with the individual in question but also with a cache of weapons. The weapons included a Thompson 45-caliber semi-automatic carbine, two .308-caliber rifles, a .22-caliber, a six-shot derringer, and a .32-caliber Beretta pistol.
“The Thompson was fully loaded, in a case with the case open,” said Lieutenant David Alexander. “The Beretta was found with it, but wasn’t loaded. The derringer was found loaded in a kitchen drawer. The rifles were found in other parts of the house. My concern is there was somebody sitting ready to go with a fully loaded Thompson sub-machine gun. There’s no need for that.”
The situation began when the Ogunquit Police learned that Christopher Newcomb, the resident at the Adams Lane house, was wanted on an outstanding warrant in New Hampshire for failure to appear on court for a charge of selling cocaine. Buttrick, working alone, went to the house. A female, Amy Hallinan, answered the door when Buttrick knocked.
“We had had contact with [Newcomb] in January,” said Buttrick. “He rents the house. [Hallinan] supposedly doesn’t live there. I explained why I was there and asked where he was. She said he wasn’t there, but her answers weren’t making any sense.” Buttrick noted that Newcomb’s car was parked at the house.
Buttrick said he left the residence and attempted to get back-up support before returning to execute a search. “I didn’t want to do it alone,” he said. “But there were no other officers available [in Ogunquit] at the time.”
Eventually, Buttick sought assistance from the Wells Police Department, and Wells Officer Eric Roubo joined Buttrick. Together, Alexander said, the officers returned to the house to conduct a search. “The two re-approached and asked [Hallinan] if they could come in and search,” Alexander said. “She said they could search. They almost immediately observed the Thompson.”
“We asked [Hallinan] if there were other weapons and she said ‘yes’,” Buttrick said. “Officer Roubo had gone into the living room and found the Thompson and the Beretta. We secured the first floor and then we checked the basement. There was no one there. We then went upstairs and came upon one of the .308s.”
Buttrick said that eventually the officers went into the garage and found an uninhabited apartment above the bay. “We entered it and it was completely empty,” he said. “I saw a door for a crawl space and I went into it. I saw a sleeping bag and it appeared someone was in it. I called out [Newcomb’s] name but he didn’t answer. I finally went up to the bag and realized there was someone in it. I drew my weapon and backed away and ordered that he show his hands. He was compliant.”
The officers placed Newcomb under arrest for the outstanding warrant and also arrested Hallinan on a charge of hindering apprehension and prosecution. They also impounded the weapons. Alexander said Hallinan claimed to be the owner of the weapons and to have appropriate licenses for them. He said the department asked the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to conduct a search to determine if Hallinan was in fact the owner. That search is underway.
Alexander said the episode pointed out two important things. “First, the residents of Ogunquit need to understand that although Ogunquit was a sleepy little village, time has caught up,” he said. “There are people who possess dangerous weapons who live among us. The police department is here to protect people and that’s exactly what Officer Buttrick did. Second, this does point out that we have staffing issues that are tied to the budget. We are extremely fortunate that one of our officers didn’t go in alone and get injured. This is exactly why we ask for two officers on every shift. And this was the day shift. We appreciate the support from Wells, but realize it’s not their job or any other departments’ to provide police coverage for us.”
Buttrick said he was wearing a bulletproof vest on March 3, per the department’s regulations. He said he appreciated the support form the Wells police. When asked if Buttrick was concerned that Newcomb might have been armed as he approached him hiding in the sleeping bag, Buttrick said: “I was very concerned that he was armed. It was a warrant about drugs, and drugs and weapons sometimes go together. But this is what we do.”
For the liberal lurkers our there:
Here we have a classic example of a law-enforcement officer who either doesn't know what he's talking about, or is a bold-faced liar, and a "reporter" who is so ignorant (stupid?), he neither questions nor verifies any of the (mis)information provided to him.
To be classified as a "sub-machine gun", a weapon must be chambered for a handgun cartridge, and be capable of fully automatic fire. (Examples include the M3 "Grease Gun" and H&K MP5.)
A semi-automatic carbine is not a "sub-machine gun", since it is not capable of fully-automatic fire.
/rant
BTW From the firearms listed, this appears to have been a pretty meager "arsenal".
OH MY GAWD WHAT AN ARSENAL!
F'ing idiots.
Yeah, lots of people in my neighborhood have a lot more than this guy.
If that's a "cache", then I'm a gun shop.
Says who? That's just one person's opinion.
O-GUN-QUIT? LOL What a strange name for a city.
Thought our troops found a fort full in Iraq. Oh, well, just some guy with three or four guns up in Maine.
The media disgusts me.
Usual leftist hyperventilation over not much of anything.
LOL!
Carolyn
Pretty pathetic, as arsenals go, really.
I think I'm in "arsenal" trouble!
Great catch.
I did a Google search, and it appears to be a real town.
Here's their website: Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce
ah yeah, pretty meager, I guess they'd really freak out if they say my brother-in-laws stash! LOL. And yeah, we all have a blast out at his place.
BWwwahahhahaha! My god I have 3 times that just under my bed...
~ Blue Jays ~
I've got the Thompson, The 32 Beretta, a 380 Beretta, a 92FS, 4 Garands, 2 M-1 Carbines, a K98K, an M1903A3, a 1903, a 1905 Argentine Mauser, a 12 gauge Mossberg, four Glocks 9/45s, an Ortgies 32, Three 1911A1s and a 1911. I guess this makes me a real arms dealer...
BTW, the Thompson is probably like mine....S/A with a 16 inch barrel (the 12" barrel is illegal).
ok, please explain what right they had to confiscate those guns?
and why such a meager collection could possibly be referred to as an arsenal?
What? No 50-calbre? What type of arsenal is this? The average Iraqi has more firepower.
I remember that quite distinctly. As I recall, the major networks were complicit in the deception.
The average person is ignorant of the difference and easily swayed by lying politicians with an agenda.
Which is why I like to post this stuff to FR, where the propaganda and lies can be exposed.
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