Gaines man, 66, faces weapons charges

John P. Klotzbach

ALBION – A Gaines resident has been arrested for conspiracy and weapons charges after an investigation regarding the illegal purchase of a gun by a third party, also known as a “Straw Purchase,” at a local gun shop in the Village of Albion, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force is reporting.

John P. Klotzbach, 66, of 13563 Ridge Rd., was charged on May 20 following an investigation by the Task Force, the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

Klotzbach allegedly attempted to purchase a shotgun and refused to complete the required ATF form 4473 for the federal background check and was subsequently denied the purchase.

Several days later, a female acquaintance allegedly went into the gun store and wanted to purchase the same gun that Mr. Klotzbach attempted to buy. The gun store owner became suspicious when he noticed the woman was riding in the same vehicle as Klotzbach, as well as attempting to purchase the same gun that Klotzbach wanted. The store owner then contacted law enforcement authorities.

While taking Klotzbach into custody at his Ridge Road home, deputies found him to be in possession of a loaded sawed-off shotgun, the Task Force reported.

Klotzbach was charged with one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D felony, and one count of conspiracy in the fifth degree, a misdemeanor.

He was arraigned in the Shelby Town Court by Town Justice Dawn Keppler, who remanded him to the county jail on $10,000 bail. He is to appear in Gaines Town Court on May 25 at 3 p.m.

The investigation is ongoing and further arrests and charges are pending, the Task Force reported. Klotzbach could also face federal charges.