A 54-year-old Worcester man was arrested late Saturday night after a jaw-dropping stash of 81 firearms and other dangerous contraband was discovered earlier that evening in his home by fire officials who had been sent to his home on a medical call.
"I never would have thought the man had that many weapons. He's very quiet and reclusive. I didn't even realize he had guns," said neighbor John Crowley, 70. "I thought he may have had a heart attack when I saw all the cruisers. You don't see four or five cruisers like that unless someone dies. I was really surprised when I picked up the paper. It's an unusual situation."
Worcester police arrested Paul D. Mateiko on four counts of illegal possession of a machine gun and one count of illegal possession of an infernal machine.
Among the 81 firearms initially discovered Saturday night, ere long guns, handguns, and three machine guns. Many rounds of ammunition and several components for explosive devices were also found on the scene.
Police said a search early yesterday morning yielded 20 more firearms, including an additional machine gun, thousands more rounds of ammunition, three-quarters of a pound of C-4 explosives, blasting caps and other explosive devices.
Mateiko is being held on $15,000 cash bail and is expected to be arraigned today in Worcester County Central District Courthouse.
Mateiko has an active license to carry firearms but does not have a license to possess machine guns.
Republished with permission from The Boston Herald
