A Lansing man was arrested on April 21 in connection to the Dunham's Sporting Goods store robberies.
Corey James Trudeau, 26, of Lansing was arraigned on the following charges on Tuesday: Possession of a Stolen Firearm, Theft of a Firearm from a Federally Licensed Dealer.
Police say Trudeau sold one of the stolen firearms to a police informant who then led officers to his arrest. According to the criminal complaint, Trudeau stole 26 guns in three different break-ins at the Dunham's, located at 3301 East Michigan Avenue in Lansing, Mi.
The first burglary happened on October 28. Surveillance video showed a suspect wearing an Adidas hoodie, dark pants and work boots, breaking out a front window of the store. He then is seen climbing over a metal security gate before entering the store. The thief then broke open a display case and stole four .45-caliber handguns and left.
The second incident happened on Dec. 7. The suspect wearing same sweatshirt broke in the same way as the previous break-in. He used a hammer to smash a display case and stole 14 handguns and three long guns at a nearby display.
On April 11, a suspect matching the same description, wearing the same clothing, broke into the same store through the same window. The man on the surveillance tape is seen with a hammer. The display case had no guns inside. So the suspect is seen kicking open a nearby door and taking five guns still in their boxes.
Two days later, News ten reported there was a reward and showed surveillance photos. Last week, ATF released more information and within an hour police had received a tip. The tipster, who met Trudeau at a drug rehabilitation center, became a police informant and contacted Trudeau to purchase a gun for $100. Police followed the tipster and Trudeau to his aunt's house in Grand Rapids where he kept the gun.
Once the deal was complete, police arrested Trudeau outside of his Holt apartment. Trudeau had initially denied his involvement but then confessed to all three burglaries. He told police he stole the guns to sell them to buy heroine. Trudeau is in custody and will be back in court Friday on a detention hearing in Grand Rapids.
