Bazetta dad charged in gun theft

CORTLAND — A Bazetta Township man has been charged in the theft of eight handguns from a collector.

Walter Zienkiewicz, 48, of 339 Johnson-Plank Road, was charged Friday by city police with receiving stolen property.

He will be arraigned Monday in Trumbull County Central District Court here. His 18-year-old son is expected to also be charged, police said.

Eight handguns were stolen last Friday from an East Main Street home.

Police said three teenagers broke into the house and took the guns. Two of the thieves each took a gun and hid the rest in the northern section of the city.

The two teens went to a Friday night party in Warren, flashed the guns they had stolen and told those attending the party where the other six firearms were hidden.

The next day, the son who attended the party is alleged to have taken   the six remaining guns from the hiding place.

Police allege that his father sold three of the guns for his son and had the remaining three guns in his house when it was searched Wednesday night.

Police have recovered all the guns, including those that were purportedly sold by the father.

The cases against five juveniles police say where involved have been turned over to the prosecutor’s office at the Trumbull County Family Court.