HANCOCK COUNTY — Police investigating the theft of dozens of guns in a burglary last month have been able to recover some of the weapons, but a number of them were sold to a buyer and likely wound up being sold again at a gun show.
Two men have been charged in connection with the thefts from a home in Charlottesville, and a new affidavit filed in connection with the case reveals new details about what happened to the firearms. Ammunition and a number of firearms accessories also were stolen, and the owner of the collection put its value at over $20,000.
The affidavit lists about 30 firearms that were taken.
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According to the affidavit, a man from Ripley County who frequents gun shows bought many of the stolen weapons for $8,000 on the same day they were taken, Feb. 8. Officials learned the man had been purchasing guns since 2018 from William Campbell, one of the men charged in the burglary. On the day of the sale, Campbell, 29, and the second suspect, Jason L. Munden, 30, who are both from Greenfield, met the man at a restaurant in Shelbyville.
Campbell told investigators he and Munden sold “all the pistols besides two or three that Jason kept and all of the long guns except for a cheap shotgun,” the affidavit stated. Campbell informed officials the man, who paid cash for the guns, did not ask where the weapons came from.
Officials were able to track down the buyer, and he informed police Campbell told him the guns came from the wife of a gun store owner who had died of COVID-19, the affidavit said.
The man was shown several lists to look over, including one listing firearms that were taken from the burglary in Charlottesville and other thefts and burglaries in Hancock County. Ten firearms on the lists were identified as guns that the man had in his possession, and he surrendered them.
The man told investigators he attends multiple gun shows where he buys and sells firearms. He told police the other weapons had already been sold, likely at a gun show in southern Indiana not long after he obtained them, the affidavit said.
Officials noted the man was not required to keep records of private-party firearm sales, so there was no way of telling who they were sold to, the affidavit said.
Many of the guns were identified by the victim through serial numbers and or photo confirmation, the affidavit said.
Detectives said the investigation is still active. Law enforcement will watch for any of the remaining stolen guns to turn up. Should the weapons show up on any type of check, they will be confiscated, officials working the case said.
The affidavit stated the Ripley County man, who was listed as being from the town of Sunman, is interested in seeking $8,000 in restitution for his purchase of the firearms.
Munden, who was arrested earlier this week, appeared Tuesday, March 2, in Hancock County Superior Court 1 for the first time. Court Commissioner Cody Coombs appointed a public defender and set a cash bond of $25,000, records show. Munden is facing a Level 4 felony charge for burglary and two Level 6 felonies for residential entry and theft of a firearm.
Munden, who is also facing a Level 4 felony burglary count in Hancock County Circuit Court from a 2019 incident, was out of jail on a $4,000 cash bond when the Charlottesville burglary occurred. Judge Scott Sirk has since revoked that bond.
Campbell, who was arrested earlier, is facing the same charges as Munden and made his initial appearance in court last week, where a $5,000 cash bond was set. Both men are still in jail.
The most serious charge against the two men carries a prison sentence of up to 12 years.
