- Jan 7, 2002
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There were some antique weapons, a World War II machine gun and some black powder muzzle-loading muskets, but the majority of nearly 500 firearms found in a Ridgefield home this week are illegal assault rifles, police said Thursday.
"There is no collector value" to many of the weapons, said borough Detective Robert Williams.
"Every one of the guns were in working condition. A few found were loaded, some with fired rounds in the chamber," Williams said.
Sherwin Raymond, 82, remained in police custody Thursday at Hackensack University Medical Center, where authorities said he was receiving dialysis treatment. He is charged with creating a public hazard, which carries a $25,000 bail.
Additional charges were expected as authorities continued to dig through the stockpile of 477 guns taken from Raymond's Abbott Avenue home on Wednesday.
A borough firing range also was sealed on Thursday, but police officials refused to say what role, if any, it plays in their investigation.
Raymond, a former borough police surgeon, is a twice-convicted felon who once sold two silencer-equipped submachine guns to an undercover federal agent. The convictions bar Raymond from collecting weapons.
"Whether he is a collector or not makes no difference," Williams said. "He gave up that right."
What he might have been doing with the seized cache remained an open question.
Among the weapons seized were an undetermined number of AK-47s and 20 Chinese-made SKS semiautomatic rifles with bayonets - both of which are banned in New Jersey.
The overall conditions of the majority of the weapons "were nowhere near collector quality," he said.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is tracing each of the weapons to help determine where it came from, said Police Chief John Bogovich.
"We are in the beginning stages, and it is probably going to take a minimum of two months to find out the pertinent information," Bogovich said. "Each weapon, depending on where it came from, could be a separate charge."
Police discovered the weapons Monday while escorting Raymond's wife, Elizabeth, back home. The Alzheimer's patient was found wandering disoriented in the neighborhood, they said.
In addition to the firearms, officials also recovered about 100,000 rounds of ammunition, more than 25 large-capacity magazines, and canister tubes that can be used to make silencers, Williams said.
The Bergen County Bomb Squad removed 500 pounds of gunpowder that was left in leaking bags - in some cases no more than 4 feet from a boiler, propane tanks and gasoline, Williams said.
"The overall condition was extremely hazardous," Williams said.
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJ...cwMzIwNCZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=
"There is no collector value" to many of the weapons, said borough Detective Robert Williams.
"Every one of the guns were in working condition. A few found were loaded, some with fired rounds in the chamber," Williams said.
Sherwin Raymond, 82, remained in police custody Thursday at Hackensack University Medical Center, where authorities said he was receiving dialysis treatment. He is charged with creating a public hazard, which carries a $25,000 bail.
Additional charges were expected as authorities continued to dig through the stockpile of 477 guns taken from Raymond's Abbott Avenue home on Wednesday.
A borough firing range also was sealed on Thursday, but police officials refused to say what role, if any, it plays in their investigation.
Raymond, a former borough police surgeon, is a twice-convicted felon who once sold two silencer-equipped submachine guns to an undercover federal agent. The convictions bar Raymond from collecting weapons.
"Whether he is a collector or not makes no difference," Williams said. "He gave up that right."
What he might have been doing with the seized cache remained an open question.
Among the weapons seized were an undetermined number of AK-47s and 20 Chinese-made SKS semiautomatic rifles with bayonets - both of which are banned in New Jersey.
The overall conditions of the majority of the weapons "were nowhere near collector quality," he said.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is tracing each of the weapons to help determine where it came from, said Police Chief John Bogovich.
"We are in the beginning stages, and it is probably going to take a minimum of two months to find out the pertinent information," Bogovich said. "Each weapon, depending on where it came from, could be a separate charge."
Police discovered the weapons Monday while escorting Raymond's wife, Elizabeth, back home. The Alzheimer's patient was found wandering disoriented in the neighborhood, they said.
In addition to the firearms, officials also recovered about 100,000 rounds of ammunition, more than 25 large-capacity magazines, and canister tubes that can be used to make silencers, Williams said.
The Bergen County Bomb Squad removed 500 pounds of gunpowder that was left in leaking bags - in some cases no more than 4 feet from a boiler, propane tanks and gasoline, Williams said.
"The overall condition was extremely hazardous," Williams said.
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJ...cwMzIwNCZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=
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