WILTON — Farmington and Jay police charged a local man Thursday with receiving a stolen handgun and chain saw from Jay.

A Farmington business owner realized he bought stolen goods by accident and contacted Farmington police and gave them information that led them to a Wilton residence.

Farmington officer William Tanner arrested Jakob Duval, 22, of Wilton, on charges of felony receiving stolen property, a firearm, and misdemeanors of receiving stolen property and theft of a chain saw, Tanner said Friday.

The two felony charges could each carry up to a 10-year prison term.

Jay police officer Michael Mejia charged Duval with felony theft of a firearm, Tanner said.

Farmington police were investigating the theft of a chain saw that was initially reported stolen from the back of a truck parked at Walmart, Farmington police secretary Rachel Heseltine said.

Tanner received information on Wednesday from a local business owner who buys chain saws and other items. A customer had gone in to buy two chain saws and asked the business representative to be on the lookout for a chain saw that had been stolen from the back of his truck, and gave him the serial number, Tanner said.

After the customer left, the business representative checked his stock and discovered he had bought the chain saw and called police, Tanner said. He buys used items.

The business representative gave police the receipt with the buyer’s name and address on it, he said.

The stolen chain saw was valued at about $800.

The business representative called police back after he realized he had also bought a .22-caliber handgun from the same man and didn’t know if that, too, had been stolen.

Heseltine said police ran the serial number on the gun through National Crime Information Center and discovered the handgun had been stolen in early February from Jay. The business representative gave police the receipt for the gun he bought, which had the same name and address, Tanner said.

Jay police officer Mike Mejia was contacted about the recovered gun. There were two guns stolen from the same residence. Mejia got a search warrant and he and Tanner served it at 20 McCrillis Road in Wilton on Thursday afternoon, Tanner said.

Duval came outside and turned himself in to police prior to the search, he said. He told police he had taken the handgun, and a chain saw from the back of truck parked at a Jay woodlot, Tanner said.

Tanner and Mejia searched the house but did not find the second handgun that was stolen at the same time as the one recovered, he said.

Wilton police Chief Heidi Wilcox stayed outside with Duval trying to get more information about the second handgun while the search was being conducted.

Duval was arrested and taken to Franklin County jail in Farmington. He posted $2,500 cash bail and was released Thursday night, a corrections officer said.

Tanner said they will be asking for restitution of $475 for the business owner who bought the items and is now out that money.

The business owner contacted the man who the chain saw was stolen from and told him to bring back one of the chain saws he bought, and he would give him his own saw back, Tanner said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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