South Carolina Police Seize 10,000 Stolen Guns From Home Of Brent Nicholson
South Carolina police seized thousands of illegal guns from the home of Brent Nicholson on Sunday. Additional illegal weapons were reportedly found in the 51-year-old man’s storage building on the same property.
Brent Nicholson has been charged with possession of stolen property, according to Chesterfield County Sheriff Jay Brooks’ comments to WBTV. The South Carolina deputies found and seized the thousands of guns inside the home in Pageland.
“There’s like 150 chainsaws, probably 250 to 300 taxidermy mounts, somewhere between 7,000 and 10,000 stolen weapons,” Sheriff Jay Brooks noted. The taxidermy mounts reportedly included mainly deer and elk heads.
The South Carolina county sheriff also told local reporters that it appeared that Nicholson was “hoarding guns,” and had the weapons stolen in an effort to add to his coffer. The vast majority of the seized guns were hunting rifles and shotguns, according to law enforcement reports. Police investigators have not found any evidence to suggest that the Chesterfield County man was a gun trafficker.
The guns seized during the South Carolina raid may have been stolen from hunting clubs and homes in North Carolina. Pageland is situated on the border between the two states.
“None of us have ever seen anything anywhere close to this,” Sheriff Brooks said. “No telling how many break-ins this will help wrap up.”
Sharing: https://t.co/NcKPOmPVYa BASED ON TIP, 10,000 STOLEN GUNS FOUND IN SC HOME OF BRENT NICHOLSON
— Raise ur Right Hand (@RaiseURH) October 25, 2015
When the deputies searched a nearby liquor store co-owned by Brent Nicholson and his father, “hundreds” more illegal guns were found. The liquor store is located at the father’s home, according to the Charlotte Observer.
“There were so many guns we quit counting after a while,” Sheriff Brooks told the local newspaper.
In addition to the thousands of illegal guns, law enforcement investigators also found 4-wheelers, air compressors, ammunition, crossbows, and tools, which are believed to have been stolen, as well. It took four 40-foot semi trucks to haul away all of the illegal guns and other items found at the Nicholson properties.
Earlier the same week, Nicholson was arrested on opium and heroin trafficking charges in nearby Union County. The deputies went to the suspect’s home over the weekend to serve him with a subpoena in the case. The law enforcement officers reportedly saw a welder and chainsaws “in plain sight,” which had been reported stolen several days prior. The same deputies, who encountered the stolen goods, had also written the stolen property reports and were familiar with the make, model, and description of the items.
Neighbor speaks on man arrested after 7,000+ stolen guns found near #NC border https://t.co/wfYuZpzs0F video – Brent Nicholson arrested
— anne hillebrand (@annehillebrand2) October 25, 2015
“They went to a judge and got a search warrant and went back to the house and found literally thousands of guns,” Sheriff Brooks noted. “They secured the scene and called everybody in. We’ve been there ever since and we’ll probably be working on this into next week.”
In the sheriff’s three decades spent working in law enforcement, he said he has never encountered such a massive stash of illegal weapons. The largest amount of illegal firearms Brooks has ever investigated in the South Carolina before resulted in just 50 guns being seized. The Chesterfield County Sheriff said at the time, the seizure of 50 illegal guns was considered an “arsenal.”
Brent Nicholson has a “lengthy record,” according to the local sheriff — a fact which has caused some to question why he was able to retain a liquor license.
[Image via Shutterstock.com]
