TOWN OF MACOMB, New York (WWNY) – A 37-year-old St. Lawrence County man is accused of possessing an assault rifle that police say could be a ghost gun.
State police raided Matthew Hopper’s home on State Route 58 in the town of Macomb on Thursday.
Troopers said they seized a .300 Blackout AR-style assault rifle with an attached silencer and a high-capacity magazine.
According to police, the rifle did not have a serial number which would indicate it was either a ghost gun or the serial number was defaced. (Ghost guns are unregistered and untraceable homemade weapons that can be made with a 3D printer or assembled from a kit.)
Troopers also said they seized approximately 1 gram of methamphetamine as well as Clonazepam pills.
Hopper is charged with:
- third-degree criminal possession of a weapon – possession of a suppressor
- third-degree criminal possession of a weapon – assault weapon
- third-degree criminal possession of a weapon – large capacity magazine
- two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance
He was arraigned in Gouverneur Town Court and sent to St. Lawrence County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail or $100,000 bond.
State police say Hopper was arrested before for possessing a ghost gun and was on probation.
According to a 7 News report from 2021, troopers seized a 9 mm ghost gun, two loaded magazines, a silencer, and suboxone from Hopper during a traffic stop.
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