PARIS — A 32-year-old Brownfield man was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with stealing almost two dozen firearms from a Denmark store.

Leonard M. Jean Jr. of Dusty Lane was charged with burglary and theft. He had posted $500 bail at the Oxford County Jail by Thursday morning.

Troopers Tom Welch, Adam Fillebrown and Dan Hanson of the Maine State Police responded to Jerry’s Sport Shop and Downeast Guide Service at 12:55 a.m. on Wednesday after an alarm was tripped at the store. Pat Burnell, who owns the shop with her husband, Jerry, said 22 pistols and a rifle were taken after a window was broken.

Welch said that Jerry Burnell mentioned to police that Jean bought guns from the Burnells before, and was in the store that day looking at several of the items that were missing. Welch said he went to Jean’s residence and found that the engine of his SUV was still warm, and that a new rifle was visible in the back seat.

Welch said Jean confessed to the burglary when questioned by police, and a bag of firearms was found in a storage shed in the backyard.

“He’s been out of work for the past year. He’s ill. He’s a gun collector himself,” Welch said. “His intentions in doing this were to sell the guns to get money for his family.”

Welch said Jean has no criminal history. Since police anticipated that a ban of firearms possession would be included in his bail conditions, the guns Jean owns were taken and subsequently transferred to the custody of Jean’s extended family.

Welch said burglary of a store that sells firearms can be a federal offense, but it is up to law enforcement officials whether the case will be prosecuted that way. He said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will be notified, but the incident will likely remain an Oxford County matter.

Pat Burnell said the shop is insured and the firearms had been returned by Thursday afternoon. Pat and Jerry Burnell praised the state troopers for their work.

“I think our state police did a terrific job,” Pat Burnell said. “Those young gentlemen that came here, they did an outstanding job in doing the whole thing — the most professional job I’ve seen on a police force for years.”

“They were right on top of it,” Jerry Burnell said. “Neither one of us can say enough about the state police. They were super.”

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