Undercover Drug Investigation Turns Up Homemade Assault Weapons

FREDERICK, Md. (WJZ) -- An undercover drug investigation turned up more than Frederick police were expecting.

Alex DeMetrick reports the probe turned up homemade assault weapons.

Frederick police started investigating Daniel Schumaker Junior last month. An undercover officer reports Schumaker would sell him drugs--and something else.

"The suspect informed us that he could also sell us AR-15 weapons without serial numbers," said Lt. Clark Pennington, Frederick Police Department.

In legal sales, serial numbers go on paperwork, allowing police to trace a weapon back to an owner in an investigation.

But the assault style weapons Schumaker was allegedly selling offered no trace back--clean in crime parlance because Schumaker is alleged to have built them himself.

"We learned that what he was doing was milling out a lower receiver, purchasing the other portions of it and then manufacturing this weapon from a manufactured lower receiver," said Pennington.

In all, police seized 28 firearms, a large cache of ammunition, body armor and $3,600 in cash and the same amount in marijuana.

They also arrested Christopher Stooltzfoos for allegedly supplying marijuana to Schumaker to sell.

By allegedly selling weapons he'd made himself without serial numbers, the suspect would have been looking for some highly specialized customers.

"And obviously, this man was selling it to who he believed was a drug dealer and somebody who dealt in arms. Luckily, it was our undercover police officer," said Pennington.

Schumaker's bail is set at $1 million.

The second suspect, Christopher Stooltzfoos, was released on $250,000 bond.