Vernon Police Seize Guns, Ammo And Armor From Resident

VERNON, CT — A resident of a Vernon dwelling specializing in veterans housing was taken into custody after being caught with an arsenal of weapons and body armor, police said.

At 10:07 p.m. Friday, Vernon police went to 1 Ellington Ave. after residents complained that another resident, later identified as 70-year-old Shawn Strauss, could be in possession of several firearms, including a handgun that had recently been "neglegently discharged," according to a report.

Police said Strauss was a convicted felon who is not supposed to own guns. In 2015, he was given a two-year suspended sentence and three years probation for gun possession, judicial system records indicate.

When police went to the residence, an officer noticed an AR-15-style weapon inside his apartment, according to a report. During a subsequent search, police located several guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and body armor, a report indicates.

Strauss was charged with criminal possession of body armor, eight counts of criminal possession of a firearm and 10 counts of illegally possessing a high-capacity magazine, according to a report.

He was held over the weekend on a $25,000 bond and was to to appear in court Monday, police said.

The home at 1 Ellington Ave. is the historic Phelps mansion that had fallen into disrepair. In 2013, an area nonprofit agency began converting it into apartments to give veterans who were down on their luck a second chance.