(Updated) A Waterbury cop turned himself in Wednesday on charges that he stockpiled explosives in this Westville home — and that several of his guns turned up in criminals’ hands on New Haven streets.
Sgt. David Setzer, 41, of the Waterbury police department, turned himself in to New Haven police headquarters around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, police spokesman Officer Joe Avery said.
Setzer was charged with: seven counts of illegal transfer or sale of a firearm, and one count each of: manufacturing a bomb, illegal possession of explosives, illegal possession of an assault weapon, risk of injury to a minor and illegal possession of fireworks. He was released after posting a $50,000 bond and is due in court Thursday.
Cops served a search warrant on Setzer’s Davis Street home on Aug. 17, according to Waterbury police Lt. Chris Corbett. The bomb, fireworks and risk of injury to a minor charges stem from that raid, Corbett said.
The raid was the third time in two months that cops have found illegal weapons stockpiled in a quiet, middle-class New Haven home.
Other charges stem from seven missing guns registered to Setzer — at least two of which were recovered at crime scenes, according to Avery. All guns were privately owned.
“Setzer never made a stolen gun report and could not explain where his guns were — or how they ended up in the hands of convicted felons,” Avery said in a press statement Wednesday.
Setzer, who has 18 years on the Waterbury police force, has been on paid leave since late July and turned in his departmental gun and badge, Corbett said. He said New Haven cops approached Waterbury police in June and informed them of a criminal probe. Waterbury has been assisting New Haven in the criminal probe, and is conducting its own internal affairs investigation, Corbett said.
The investigation stemmed from an incident in late May when cops found a gun registered to Setzer in the hands of a convicted felon, Corbett said. The felon was arrested. At that point, it appeared that the gun may have been an oversight — Setzer may have sold the gun a few years ago but not followed through on paperwork, Corbett said. But as the investigation continued, it appeared the offense was worse.
Later this summer, cops found another gun at a crime scene. The 40-caliber Sig Sauer pistol also belonged to Setzer. The pistol was used in five New Haven shootings in the past nine months, Avery said.
One of the five shootings was a gun battle on Dec. 13, 2008 at Humphrey’s East, where New Haven cops exchanged gunfire with unnamed suspects, Avery said. Other shootings took place at: Davenport and Ward on April 15; Cedar and Portsea on April 19; outside 85 Ward St. on June 4; and at 540 Howard Ave. on June 9.
Bullet casings from all five shootings matched the cop’s gun, Avery said. Setzer declined to explain how his gun ended up in the hands of the criminals at those shootings, Avery said.
In total, police found seven guns registered to Setzer had gone missing. Lieutenant Kenneth Blanchard and Detective Annemarie LaPorta investigated the case.
No one at the Setzer residence answered the door Wednesday morning.
Carmen Carr, who has lived across the street from Setzer for three years at 82 Davis St., said that she didn’t know him, other than that he was a cop.
“I thought he was kind of protecting us,” she said. She said that he lived upstairs from his parents in the big blue house on the corner of Davis and Fairfield Streets.
Thomas MacMillan contributed reporting.
Wow. Good work nhpd.