On Friday, Dec. 17, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office made public the results of a month-long multi-jurisdictional investigation that ended with eight search warrants and the recovery of about $800,000 worth of stolen goods in time to get those items back to their rightful owners for the New Year.
Other law enforcement agencies that worked together on the initiative were the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Greensboro Police Department and High Point Police Department.
In a press release announcing the recovered merchandise, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office also thanked the Guilford County Environmental Health HERA team and the Oak Ridge Fire Department for their cooperation, which resulted in the recovery of property stolen from victims across North Carolina.
According to that release, “In the past month, investigators from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, and High Point Police Department investigated the thefts and recovery of substantial amounts of valuable stolen property to include: flatbed trailers, shipping containers, shipping container trailers, heavy farm machinery, automobiles, commercial mowing equipment, Lowboy style trailers, a tractor trailer and a trailer full of Ashley Furniture. Also seized during this investigation were methamphetamine, heroin, numerous firearms to include ‘Ghost’ style handguns.”
The warrants were served on the 8600 block of Warner Road, at 7533 Anthony Road, and at the business, TMC Trucking and Grading LLC – all in Kernersville. Addresses in Yadkinville were also searched.
Currently, Devin Lynn Combs (above), a 21-year-old who was residing at 8621 Warner Road in Kernersville, is wanted for three counts of felony larceny, larceny of a firearm, injury of personal property and injury of real property related to this investigation.
if you know of his location, you are being asked to “notify the proper law enforcement agency.”
The investigation is still ongoing, and additional charges are expected.
Thats a new one on me, “ghost style handguns” ????? I do know you can buy parts for a rifle to assemble without serial numbers, which is legal, but this is a new one to me. Pistol permits and ATF forms are needed for pistols so how does one buy non numbered ghost hand gun? If serial number has been ground off I guess you could then call it a ghost gun. but why not just call it an illegal weapon? Other than that nitpicking, good job.
You cannot buy or sell an unserialized firearm, rifle or handgun.
You are allowed to manufacture a firearm for personal use, rifle or handgun. That gun does not need to be serialized – so long as you don’t intend to sell it. Some companies sell kits to make it easier to manufacture a gun at home, but it still requires knowledge and equipment.
These home built guns are what most people refer to as “ghost” guns. The concern around ghost guns is largely because of misinformation. If you wanted an unserialized gun to commit a crime, you could just grind off the serial number, swap the barrel (if you were really worried about ‘forensic ballistics’ voodoo), and you now have an ‘untraceable’ gun.
The firearm is not illegal to posess unless it was manufactured with the intent to sell it, or the holder was barred from possession of a firearm for some other reason.
Now – these folks don’t seem like the rule following types, so they probably did do something illegal with the weapon.