7/14/2023 0 Comments Stolen realm"Unless they were told it was stolen or told it was hot, I can’t imagine that we would go after them. "Barring anything unforeseen, we’re not trying to go after the individual purchaser unless we find they were involved in the conspiracy to commit the theft to begin with," he said. Weir said those who spot ammunition online or in bulk at gun shows may want to think twice. While the ammunition was in crates labeled for delivery to Columbus police, once it is broken down into boxes or individual rounds, there's no special designation to determine whether the bullets are from the shipment that was stolen or were legitimately purchased. What we don’t know is where it is now and are they still moving it or are they afraid to move it because they know people are looking for it." "All the players know we know and are out asking questions," Weir said. Weir said additional charges are likely against Scaff and Kimball and charges are likely to be filed against other people involved in the conspiracy to steal the ammunition. It is not in the realm of possibility for it to be an inside job on our part at this point." "There’s no way any of us would have known where it’s at or what company or warehouse had it. Once that company gets that bid, in this case, Winchester, once it goes through, they don’t always use the same shipping company and we never know what the shipping company is," Weir said. "When we purchase it, it goes out to bid. ![]() There is no belief that any Columbus police officers were involved in the heist - or even could have been involved - because of how the purchasing process works. The rounds are used for training and will not leave officers on the street without ammunition, Weir said. Related coverage: Republican bill could block enforcement of federal gun laws in Ohio That inquiry led to the discovery that the rounds had been stolen. The division reached out to Winchester, the ammunition manufacturer, to determine whether the bullets had been delayed by supply chain issues or if foul play was involved. Weir said police were scheduled to receive two pallets for training purposes but only received one when the shipment arrived. We’re always trying to do that and make the victim whole and return the property to its rightful owner, but in this case, there’s a public safety component as well." "We have good reason that the two thefts are connected based on recovering property together from the two of those thefts," Weir said. The items stolen in that theft were valued at more than $70,000. The items were driven to another location on the 3400 block of Sullivant Avenue. Related coverage: Columbus gun owners wary of city's new ammunition restrictionįranklin County Municipal Court records show 32-year-old James Scaff and 36-year-old Christopher Kimmel, both of the West Side, have been arrested and charged with fourth-degree felony theft in connection with a related theft of generators and other appliances on March 25 from a warehouse on Distribution Drive.Īccording to court records, Scaff and Kimmel are seen on surveillance video loading up pallets of items into a truck, which was also stolen. The trucks that were used to steal the items have been recovered. ![]() The ammunition had been at a warehouse on Journal Street. All of the ammunition, which was also on a pallet, is 5.56 ammunition for assault-style rifles like an AR-15. The ammunition, which is valued at more than $64,000, was stolen between April 1 and April 3, according to Deputy Chief Smith Weir. Two people have been arrested in connection with the heist, according to court records, however, the ammunition has not yet been found. About 160,000 rounds of ammunition meant for Columbus police's shooting range were stolen earlier this month from a warehouse on the Far West Side.
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