Clovis teen faces felony charges

Robin Fornoff

A 16-year-old Clovis boy faces an assortment of felony charges after he is alleged to have stolen 10 guns from a local business “to take care of the bullies” in his life, Police Chief Steve Sanders said Thursday.

Sanders said the boy gave officers a list of names of people he planned to get even with and officers confiscated 10 loaded guns from his home.

They also reported finding two letters; one containing the Nazi oath and another with writings about love and hate.

“He had a list of folks that he felt were bullying him and that’s who he intended to target,” Sanders said. “He used the word bullies.”

Sanders declined to identify the teen. He said investigators are “still cleaning up issues ... other crimes that he may have been involved in.”

The teen is being held at the Curry County Juvenile Detention Center, according to Sanders. Charges include aggravated burglary, larceny and receiving stolen property, Sanders said.

The youth is a suspect in three burglaries since March 2 at Martin Enterprises, 515 N. Prince St., an antique shop and licensed gun dealer.

The boy was arrested Tuesday evening at Martin Enterprises after the owner, Wayne Martin, confronted the youth and held him, according to police reports.

Another officer dispatched to the teen’s home near the store reported that a woman police declined to identify told them the boy was asleep in his bedroom.

Officers said when they went to the bedroom, they found an afghan draped over several blankets and pillows on the bed to make it appear someone was asleep under the covers.

Officers reported finding a loaded Russian-made .410-gauge shotgun in the bed. Nine more guns and a green fighting knife were found at various locations in the boy’s bedroom, according to reports.

The guns included 9mm caliber handguns, rifles and a .12-gauge shotgun.

“All weapons with the exception of (two handguns) ... had loaded magazines inserted in the magazine wells and a round in the chamber,” an officer noted in his report.

Martin’s son, Seth Martin, a partner in the business, said surveillance cameras inside the store captured photographs of all three burglaries. He said the photographs were turned over to police.

Martin also said the two other burglaries happened overnight Sunday and overnight Monday.

Police also reported finding ammunition stolen from the store in an outbuilding near the boy’s home.