HARTFORD, Conn — A Glastonbury man faces a federal charge for possessing a firearm while being a user of a controlled substance.
Authorities previously asked him to surrender his weapons following an arrest last year, but he violated the terms of his release in March.
Court documents and statements made in court allege that an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives identify Andrew Payne, 40, as the possible purchaser of machine gun conversion devices, according to a release from the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut on Friday.
In March 2023, investigators interviewed Payne and explained that the devices were illegal under federal law, according to prosecutors, and Payne arranged through his attorney to turn them in to the ATF.
Then, eight months later, prosecutors say, they encountered Payne again.
In the early morning hours of Nov. 29, 2023, Hartford police responded to a hotel on Brainard Road after employees there found a firearm in the hallway. A hotel employee said that the guest who owned the firearm, identified as Payne, was “acting erratically and crawling on the floor,” according to prosecutors.
Upon searching Payne’s room, police found used hypodermic needles and other evidence of drug use. An investigation revealed the firearm was registered to Payne, prosecutors said, noting that he was charged with state offenses and ordered to surrender his firearms to a Federal Firearms Licensee. Payne’s pistol permit was also revoked.
Four months later, on March 18, 2024, Payne was arrested by Simsbury police for violating the conditions of his release when they discovered that he had access to multiple firearms, firearm components, and firearm manufacturing equipment. The items were allegedly found in two units of a business complex at 2 Tunxis Road in the Tariffville neighborhood of Simsbury.
Investigators searched the locations on March 19 and 20 and seized the items, which prosecutors said included machine gun conversion devices that ATF previously informed Payne were illegal to possess. After his arrest last November, Payne had stated in court that he did not have access to guns.
Prosecutors said investigators also discovered glassine envelopes containing suspected fentanyl, empty glassine envelopes, and used hypodermic needles in Payne’s vehicles.
Payne was released after his arrest on March 18 but has been detained in state custody since being arrested on March 20, when he arrived at 2 Tunxis Road while investigators were executing a search warrant.
Payne made his first appearance in Hartford federal court on Thursday, and the charge of unlawfully possessing a firearm while being a user of a controlled substance can be punishable by a maximum prison term of 15 years.
Prosecutors stress that a complaint is only a charge and not evidence of guilt and that charges are only allegations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The ongoing investigation is being led by the ATF, the Simsbury Police Department, the Hartford Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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