Southeast Ohio leads the state in illegal weapons arrests - but authorities said the numbers do not begin to reflect the size of Athens County's black market for guns.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol made 85 illegal weapons arrests in Southeastern Ohio, out of 447 statewide, between January 2008 and August 2009. Local arrests top Southwest Ohio, which includes Cincinnati, with 48 arrests; and Central Ohio, which includes Columbus, with 55 arrests.
The numbers do not include arrests by other agencies such as the Athens County Sheriff Office.
Two of the 85 arrests occurred in Athens County.
Lt. Aaron Maynard said county residents report stolen guns daily.
Once the guns are stolen, thieves usually sell the weapons on the street or occasionally to pawn shops, often to fund drug habits, Maynard said. Of the 447 illegal weapons arrests, 120 involved drugs, according to the patrol.
In Athens, guns are usually traded for heroin or prescription drugs, Detective Jason Kline said.
People will pay more for guns on the street if prior criminal charges prohibit them from purchasing weapons at the store, Kline said.
One reason that gun theft occurs frequently in the area is because of the prevalence of gun collectors, Detective Jerry Hallowell said.
It is Southeastern Ohio
Hallowell said, adding that normally more than one gun is stolen at a time. Stolen guns often circulate around the country.
One prominent gun theft case involved both drugs and gun collecting - and ultimately lead to the murder of New Marshfield resident Donnie Putnam.
Last December, Michael White, 19, stole 30 to 40 guns, valued between $3,000 and $6,000 each, from Charles Calendine at 5556 Gun Club Rd. White then sold the guns on the street and to pawn shops, Hallowell said.
Police located several of the guns, but because of Calendine's vast collection, it is unclear how many White stole. White traded one gun used in a February shootout, Hallowell said.
Phillip Boler, 27, Mohat Osman, 17, Abdifatah Abdi, 16 and Hamda Jama, 21, raided Bill Osborne's trailer Feb. 15. Putnam was shot in the crossfire. One of the guns fired that day was from Calendine's collection.
White will serve about five years in jail and was charged with burglary and receiving stolen property, according to court documents.
Despite cases like these, the sheriff's office's recovered nearly as many guns as are stolen Hallowell said. He did not have an exact figure at press time.
Police recover guns through pawnshops by alerting the shops of stolen guns to look for, Maynard said.
Strict regulations are in effect for the sale of firearms to pawn shops as well as gun shops.
It's a regulatory intensive process said Lou Tanksy, President of the Ohio Pawnbrokers' Association.
To buy a gun, a background check and valid ID are required.
In the very
very few cases stolen guns are accepted at pawnshops, owners can usually negotiate a buyback price, Tansky said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regulates pawn and gun shops. Anyone who sells a gun must obtain a Federal Firearms License, according to the Buckeye Firearms Association.
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Brigitta Burks
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Alicia Fidler | Picture Editor
Guns sit out at the Athens County Sheriff
