Armory of weapons seized from ex-cop

FRANKLIN, N.J., Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A former South Jersey police officer had more than 250 guns and 500,000 rounds of ammunition stored on his property, investigators said.

State Police Sgt. Stephen Jones called Tuesday's find "the largest cache of ammunition we have probably ever seen," The Bridgeton News reported. Some of the armory was stored in a septic tank converted into an underground bunker, police said.

Some of the weapons dated from World War II but many were manufactured more recently.

Police went to Brian Hinkle's home in Franklin after getting information connecting him to a burglary last week at a farm in Upper Pittsgrove. They said Hinkle tried to barricade himself in the house and grabbed a gun, leading to his arrest on charges of assaulting an officer.

Hinkle, 59, was at some point a police officer in Vineland.

The weapons and ammunition were found during a search that involved New Jersey State Police, local police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

State Police Detective Sgt. Mike Peterson said investigators would like to know why Hinkle had stockpiled so many weapons.

"What's it all about, is the biggest question on my mind," said Peterson.