A Salina man was arrested Thursday after guns stolen during a recent aggravated burglary in Oklahoma were found in his possession.
Mark Goracke, 44, of Salina, was arrested on the following requested charges, Saline County Undersheriff Brent Melander said this morning.
11 counts of theft of a firearm
Possession of methamphetamine
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Possession of hallucinogenic drugs
Theft by deception
Goracke's arrest was the result of a joint operation between the Saline County Sheriff's Office and the Payne County Sheriff's Office in Stillwater, Okla.
Melander said the Payne County Sheriff's Office contacted the sheriff's office on Wednesday concerning the theft of a gun safe from a rural Payne County residence. The gun safe contained 16 guns, he said.
The Payne County Sheriff's Office had information that at least some of the guns had made their way to Saline County.
The Saline County Sheriff's Office began a local investigation which resulted in the execution of a search warrant at 920 Pearl Avenue in central Salina. During the search, one of the guns stolen in Oklahoma was recovered. The search also uncovered additional information that led Saline County Sheriff's Office personnel to a second residence, where 10 more guns stolen in Oklahoma were recovered, Melander said.
During the search, methamphetamine, hallucinogenic drugs, and drug paraphernalia also were recovered, he added.