Court documents show 48 guns stolen from two Cedar Rapids area firearms dealers

CEDAR RAPIDS - Recently filed court documents show two 18-year-olds broke into two firearms dealers in Hiawatha and Cedar Rapids and took 48 guns before being arrested later that same day.

An indictment shows Jeremy Reynolds of Hiawatha, and John Gillespie Jr., are accused of stealing 40 pistols and revolvers and eight rifles and shotguns from Midwest Shooting in Hiawatha on June 16, and America's 2nd Amendment Firearms in Cedar Rapids on June 3.

Reynolds was indicted Tuesday and on Wednesday he pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court to theft of a firearm from a licensee. His trial is set for Sept. 18.

Reynolds was originally charged with burglary in state court but then was transferred to federal authorities.

John Gillespie Jr., waived indictment and last week was charged in U.S. District Court with theft of a firearm from a licensee. He will be arraigned Aug. 3.

There is no information in the court documents regarding what the two teens were going to do with the guns.

An affidavit of the criminal complaint shows Hiawatha police responded to a break-in about 12:49 a.m. June 16 at Midwest Shooting, 1490 Ketelsen Dr., and stopped a silver GMC Yukon leaving the area. A man and woman in the vehicle were questioned and the woman said they picked up two men earlier in Cedar Rapids and dropped them off at Midwest Shooting.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent Timothy Hunt said in the affidavit that as officers were talking with the woman, they saw Reynolds coming out of CCB Packaging across from Midwest Shooting.

Reynolds, who was muddy and wet, told officers he was there filling out an application. He also said Gillespie had dropped him off there and was picking him up.

Hunt said during the investigation at Midwest Shooting, police found the store had been burglarized and multiple firearms were missing.

Officers then found a backpack with gloves, a sweatshirt and several handguns in the field by the store. They also found several long guns in a field. All the guns recovered were from Midwest and Reynolds was arrested, the criminal complaint shows.

Hunt said surveillance video from Midwest Shooting showed two men matching the suspects' descriptions with bags filled with guns.

Gillespie was arrested during a traffic stop on J Street SW later that day, Hunt said in the affidavit. A duffle bag in his vehicle contained 10 guns from Midwest.

The affidavit shows officers also found a firearm in the patrol car where Gillespie was seated after his arrest. Later, they found out that firearm had been stolen during a June 3 burglary at America's 2nd Amendment Firearms. Both Reynolds and Gillespie matched the suspects shown in another surveillance video from this store, according to the affidavit.

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