Jury Trial Set for Union Area Man Charged With Possessing Homemade Silencer

A jury trial is scheduled for the Union area man who was in possession of an illegal weapon, authorities said.

The trial for Shawn M. Arflack, 36, will begin Oct. 10 at 9 a.m. in front of Judge Gael D. Wood.

He is charged with two counts of unlawful possession of an illegal weapon, including a homemade silencer.

Arflack was arrested following an investigation by Washington police into allegations that he had been threatening co-workers at the Stork Fabricators manufacturing plant off Vossbrink Drive.

The threats were “serious” and had been going on for some time and the man had the “entire plant in fear,” Washington police said.

Managers at the plant contacted police in February 2011 after workers reported some of Arflack’s alleged remarks.

After police interviewed workers at the plant, they went to the suspect’s vehicle and found weapons and ammunition inside which they seized.

Police then uncovered additional information that Arflack allegedly had manufactured a silencer while working at Stork Fabricators and had been removing aluminium shavings from the plant, allegedly to be used to manufacture explosives.

Two investigators with the Franklin County Narcotics Enforcement Unit drove by Arflack’s home off of Sawmill Road in preparation of obtaining a search warrant and observed Arflack and another man removing weapons and placing them in a truck, according to reports.

A short time later, the officers stopped Arflack driving in a vehicle and found magazines of ammunition for an assault rifle and the silencer on the front seat.

Arflack consented to a search of his residence where many more weapons, explosives and ammunition were seized.

Investigators estimated that almost 30 weapons, including assault and high-power rifles and handguns, and thousands of rounds of ammunition were recovered from the suspect’s home.

Also seized was a quantity of Tannerite, which consists of two powders that when combined form a powerful explosive, investigators said. Tannerite can be purchased without special permits because the two powders are stable and won’t explode until mixed together.