By Lori Ehde
Two Luverne men are in custody in the Nobles County Jail following a traffic violation that yielded a trunk full of stolen firearms.
According to information from the Rock County Attorney's Office, 47-year-old Oliver Crawford and 18-year-old Scott Wentler were pulled over in Luverne for speeding 42 mph in a 30-mph speed zone.
The time was 1:15 a.m. and the car, owned and driven by Crawford, was headed south before it was stopped in front of Taco John's on Highway 75.
When Crawford consented to a search of the car, 23 handguns and a weapon described as an "Uzi" were found in the trunk. The items were later found to have been stolen from Harvey's Trading Post.
According to store owner Kevin Kramer, the stolen items are estimated to be worth nearly $15,000. Included in that figure is the Uzi, a semi-automatic rifle, which costs $1,300 to $1,400 by itself.
Kramer said he's turning that information over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the federal agency that gets involved whenever a gun dealership is broken into.
Entry was gained through a broken storefront window, and little damage was done inside, except to locks on display cases.
"I would say they could have been in and out in a couple minutes or less," said Kramer, who worked until after 8 p.m. Thursday night.
Had the men gotten away, he said it wouldn't take long to catch up with them. "Every gun is registered with the ATF," he said. "It would have come up stolen if they tried to sell it."
Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt said registration wouldn't help in a case like this. "Stolen guns are not typically sold to people who run registration checks," Vajgrt said. "They're sold to people who want stolen guns, and they're used to commit crimes."
He said law enforcement did a good job of getting the guns off the street.
Kramer's security system reportedly had not been turned on at the time of the break-in, and it was pure coincidence that the Crawford vehicle was pulled over for speeding.
Wentler faces charges of felony-level burglary and theft. No bail has been set, as he is awaiting sentencing on another unrelated case. He pled guilty earlier this year to making terroristic threats.
Crawford's bail has been set at $30,000. He faces felony level charges of receiving stolen property and possessing stolen property.
Both men are scheduled to appear in Rock County District Court Monday.