Vandalia police arrest man with multiple guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition
Investigators arrested a man last week after they say he broke into a trucking company. When officers showed up, they found he had hundreds of rounds of ammunition and guns.
On July 28, Vandalia Police responded to a trucking company in the 7600 Poe Avenue on reports of a possible breaking and entering.
Officers were notified of an individual who had trespassed on the property by the alarm company, Vandalia Police Chief Kurt Althouse told News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott. The alarm company could see the person trying to get into multiple vehicles in the lawn.
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Once on scene, police saw the man, later identified as Devin Harris, get into one of the semi cabs and start the truck.
When officers ordered Harris out of the truck, they found something “pretty surprising” to officers.
“They found two handguns in the cab of that truck which had large drums of magazines, 50-round drums, and magazines that fit into those handguns,” Althouse said.
In addition to that, they also found a backpack with 12 more loaded magazines.
“That’s not something we commonly see here,” Althouse said.
From there, police learned Harris had been staying at a hotel near the trucking company. Officers went there to search his car and that was where even more ammunition and weapons were found. Althouse said officers found an AR-15 with multiple rounds of ammunition, a bullet resistant vest, knives, pepper spray and “a variety of other things.”
“That really concerned the officers who were out there on scene,” he said.
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When officers went to check Harris’ hotel room, they were forced to enter through the window because Harris had barricaded the door with furniture.
The police chief said that there were “no other significant issues or criminal records that noted, that would had led him to this.”
“I’m not sure if there was the influence of narcotics in his system or some mental health issues,” Althouse said.
Investigators learned that Harris is from the Columbus-area. They’ve checked with police departments in Franklin County and learned he was under investigation for “some other criminal offense.”
Considering the number of weapons and the fact that Harris tired to scratch off a serial number from one of the guns, police wonder if he had a plan.
“Our investigators have been working with the FBI and Homeland Security, trying to determine [if there] is any connection to any events or was there a specific target that he was looking at,” Althouse explained.
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Investigators have not made any concrete connections yet, but they have reached out to organizers of area events, including the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show, to alert them to what happened.
Harris is currently booked in the Montgomery County on theft and breaking and entering charges. His bond has been set at $100,000.
Investigators will continue to look into Harris and investigate the situation.
