Police Reveal New Details In Newtown Business Threats, Explosives Case

NEWTOWN, CT — Newtown police used a Taser to arrest a man accused of making threats involving firearms at a local veterinary business before discovering 11 explosives and several firearms at his residence, according to new details released Friday.

The Newtown Police Department's Oct. 23 news release identifies the business as Newtown Veterinary Specialists at 52 Church Hill Road and provides additional details about the Oct. 16 incident that led to the arrest of James McCafferty, 42, of Newtown.

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Police said officers responded to the veterinary business on the morning of Oct. 16 after multiple employees and witnesses reported that McCafferty had caused a disturbance inside and made threats involving firearms.

McCafferty was no longer at the business when officers arrived. Police said witnesses did not see him carrying or brandishing a firearm during the incident.

Following an investigation, officers and detectives obtained an arrest warrant for McCafferty and a search warrant for his residence.

Police said that while officers were executing the warrants that afternoon, McCafferty became involved in a physical altercation with another person at the residence and resisted arrest.

An officer deployed a Taser while taking him into custody, according to the department.

During the search of the residence, officers seized several firearms and discovered an item labeled "Explosive Ordinance."

The Stamford Police Department Bomb Squad was called to assist, and authorities ultimately located and seized 11 M80 explosives, police said.

McCafferty faces charges of illegal possession of explosives, interfering with an officer, second-degree threatening, two counts of second-degree breach of peace and third-degree criminal trespass.

Police said he was processed at the Newtown Police Department and released on a total of $75,000 in bond.

The department's release listed an Oct. 19 appearance date at Danbury Superior Court.

The new information, released a week after the incident, provides a fuller account of the investigation, including the location of the reported threats, the circumstances of McCafferty's arrest and the explosives recovered during the search.