Chad Bartos was indicted in federal court in 2002 before he was captured.
PORTLAND – A Massachusetts man who came to Lewiston with a stolen gun nearly three years ago was convicted of weapons charges Thursday in U.S. District Court.

Chad Bartos, 27, of Salem, Mass., was convicted after a two-day trial on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a stolen gun.

Investigators said that on Dec. 2, 2001, Bartos stole a .22-caliber revolver and ammunition from his uncle’s hunting camp in Bingham. Bartos then went to Lewiston with the gun and reportedly threatened to get into a gun battle with cops if they tried to arrest him.

Lewiston police were notified by officials in Massachusetts that Bartos was armed and considered dangerous. A search involving local cops and agents from the Central Maine Violent Crime Task Force got under way.

Police in Lewiston learned that Bartos had been spotted in a motel and that he still had the gun with him. When investigators went to the motel, they couldn’t find Bartos. Instead, they found an empty gun case in a trash can at the nearby McDonald’s.

The .22 was never recovered.

At the time, police in Massachusetts wanted Bartos on charges of receiving stolen property. Police in Lewiston wanted to take Bartos in for terrorizing, based on the alleged threats.

According to a police bulletin put out at the time, investigators in Massachusetts had attempted to arrest Bartos in October 2001 but were unsuccessful.

Investigators believed Bartos had friends in Lewiston and may have been staying with them.

Police around New England continued searching for Bartos, but he remained on the lam for more than a year. He was indicted in federal court in 2002 before he was captured.

Investigators learned that Bartos was checked into a hospital in upstate New York in early 2003. He was arrested soon after.

Bartos faces up to 10 years in federal prison now that he has been convicted on the weapons charges. He could also face a fine of up to $250,000. No sentencing date has been set.
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