Man arrested after nearly 10,000 stolen guns found in his house

PAGELAND, S.C. — Deputies in Chesterfield County seized thousands of stolen guns Friday hidden inside a home near Pageland. Authorities said they received a tip, got a search warrant and found almost 10,000 guns. Officials arrested Brent Nicholson in Union County, North Carolina in connection to the guns. Officers also found hundreds of boxes of ammunition and tools. They believe they are all stolen from area counties. He was hoarding most of it, but it's all stolen material from all over numerous counties and it's going to take a lot to sort all this out,” Chesterfield Sheriff Jay Brooks said. Officers said they found truckloads of other items in Brent Nicholson's home including tools, and taxidermy. Detectives said they found even more stolen guns in the liquor store they said Nicholson owned with his father and in his father's home. "His name always popped up regarding stolen property and we finally got enough info for a search warrant," Brooks said. Sheriffs deputies in Union County also had their eyes on Nicholson. They said several cases involving stolen guns lead back to him. Investigators believe he was buying the stolen guns and hoarding them. But they don't think he was re-selling them. Officers arrested him this morning in Union County and transported him back to Pageland on a charge of possession of stolen goods. The ATF will help officers build their case and determine who all these guns belong to. "It may take two months before we know where they come from. Some we may never know. We may make every effort to return to rightful owner,” Brooks said. The suspect lived in the house with his wife. Officials said she and the suspect's father could also face charges.