Grand jury indicts Illinois man in theft of 135 weapons
WOOD RIVER, Ill. (AP) - A Madison County man has been charged with stealing 135 firearms from a sporting goods store in southwestern Illinois.
Federal prosecutors said Bradley Boswell of Wood River was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday. Boswell, 30, is accused of stealing shotguns, a grenade launcher and more in February from Benbow City Sports in Wood River, about 17 miles (around 27 kilometers) northeast of St. Louis.
Boswell faces gun theft and possession charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail apiece and a fine of up to $250,000.
Officers from Wood River police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System conducted a pre-dawn raid in February at an address that neighbors had raised concerns about, prosecutors said. Two people were taken into custody.
Boswell was later arrested at another location, police said.
The raid was in response to a burglary report from Thomas G. Maag, an attorney in Madison County who runs Benbow City Sports.
A confidential informant told officers that Boswell asked if he or she knew how to construct firearms parts. The informant replied to Boswell that he or she did not know how.
The U.S. Marshals Service will detain Boswell until a hearing on Tuesday.