Teens caught allegedly attempting to sell stolen guns in Troy, Collinsville

At least six teenagers face felony gun charges after a New Year’s Eve party ended with guns walking out the door.

Troy Police Chief Brad Parsons said at least four juveniles and three adults are facing charges in an ongoing investigation that began with a New Year’s Eve party at a Troy home. Several of the teenage attendees were friends of the family’s daughter. Police did not release the identity of the family.

“At the end of the party, they took the guns from the house,” Parsons said. “Some were considered to be collector’s items, valued at over $10,000.”

The family realized that six guns were missing and filed a police report on Jan. 8. By then, Parsons said, one of the stolen handguns had been confiscated at Collinsville High School. The school resource officer had been informed that a student had a gun, and he located the unloaded firearm in the student’s backpack. There was no ammunition found, and police said at the time they did not believe he intended to use the gun at the school.

So far, Kameron Garcia and Cole Young, both 18 of Collinsville; and four juveniles have been charged with aggravated possession of multiple firearms. Jeremy Mitchell, 18, of Collinsville was charged with unlawful possession of a stolen firearm, a Class 2 felony. The juveniles were not identified by police due to their age.

Parsons said the stolen guns were being passed around, with some people attempting to sell them and others giving them away. At one point, Garcia was allegedly trying to sell some of the guns in the parking lot at the Collinsville Wal-Mart, Parsons said. Garcia faces an additional charge of unlawful delivery of a stolen firearm. The prospective buyer was not charged, according to Collinsville police.

Parsons said some of the guns were going to be transferred in Troy, but police were able to intercept them. One of the guns was voluntarily returned, he said.

The charges of aggravated possession of six to 10 firearms is a Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison. The charge of unlawful delivery of a stolen firearm is a Class 1 felony punishable by four to 15 years in prison, according to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Teens caught allegedly attempting to sell stolen guns in Troy, Collinsville."