Orange County News
For Immediate Release                                                                   Contact: Ryan Greenbaum
 Friday, March 03, 2023                                                              845.615.3657, 845.415.0868c

District Attorney David M. Hoovler and Sheriff Paul Arteta Announce Ghost Gun Arrest in Village of Chester 

Two Ghost Guns and Parts Used to Manufacture Ghost Guns Recovered During Execution of Search Warrant

Warrant Executed After Three Month Joint Law Enforcement Investigation

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler and Sheriff Paul Arteta announced on March 3, 2023 that Carlos Martinez, age 49, of Chester, was arrested and charged with crimes including Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.  Martinez was arraigned in the Centralized Arraignment Part and remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail.  The arrest was part of a multi-agency investigation and enforcement action conducted by the Orange County Drug Task Force (OCDTF), Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Special Operations Group, the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center and Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Over the course of the past three months, police officers conducted an investigation into the sale of narcotics and the illegal possession of firearms in and around the Town of Chester.  As a result of the investigation, a judicially authorized search warrant was executed at a residence in the Village of Chester on March 3, 2023.  During the execution of the warrant, police officers recovered two 9mm ghost guns, equipment used to assemble ghost guns, $5,190 in United States currency, as well as ammunition and scales typically used in the packaging and sale of narcotics. 

“Ghost guns, which by their nature are illegal to possess, fuel and aid violence in the narcotics trade,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “Our law enforcement partners, working together with the dedicated prosecutors in my Office, will continue to pursue offenders who illegally possess these dangerous firearms.  I commend the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved in this investigation and arrest.  Enforcement actions like this one are intended to keep our streets safe from the scourge of gun violence.”

"This coordinated joint effort between our local county agencies has successfully removed illegally possessed firearms from the streets and out of our community. We remain committed to providing our Orange County Drug Task- Force with all the resources they need to continue battling illegal gun possession and drug sales in Orange County. I am proud of the work our Investigators have been doing for the citizens of our county. There is no place for illegal guns or drugs in our neighborhoods," said Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory.

A criminal charge is merely an allegation by the police that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.