Amesbury man facing gun charges jailed pending hearing

Dave Rogers, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·2 min read

Mar. 25—AMESBURY — A Friend Street man arrested Tuesday on firearms-related charges was ordered held without bail until Friday when a dangerousness hearing will be held in Newburyport District Court.

Zachary Piechocki, 28, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition without an FID card and five counts of possessing a high-capacity ammunition feeding device.

State law defines a high-capacity feeding device as a detachable magazine, drum or clip capable of holding 10 or more rounds of ammunition or five or more shotgun shells.

At Piechocki's arraignment Wednesday, Essex County prosecutor Shailagh Kennedy filed a motion to hold him without bail, claiming he is too dangerous to be released before a possible trial.

Judge Allen Swan ruled there was enough probable cause to hold Piechocki until the hearing on the motion Friday. If Piechocki is allowed to post bail or is found dangerous and released on conditions, he must have no contact with any witnesses in the case.

Piechocki's attorney, Scott Gleason, did not argue against Kennedy's motion.

An Amesbury police report shows officers were tipped off by a witness that Piechocki had a handgun and was waving it around his apartment.

Detective Raymond Landry wrote in his report that after a witness alerted police about the handgun, officers checked on his license to carry and found it was revoked in 2015. A computer check also showed he did not have any firearms listed in the state's database.

Based on the witness' statement, detectives obtained a search warrant for the apartment. Piechocki returned home Tuesday about 11:30 a.m. and was stopped by Officer Jonathan Morrill, who told him police were "executing a search warrant" at the apartment.

A short time later, Morrill was told that a 9mm Beretta handgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, several empty handgun cases and five high-capacity magazines were found in the apartment. Morrill then handcuffed Piechocki and arrested him without incident, according to Morrill's report.

Landry wrote that as police were trying to get into the apartment, Piechocki called him. Landry told Piechocki about the warrant and why they were there.

While in the apartment, Detective Sgt. David Noyes found the handgun and other firearms-related items. Among them were dozens of .45 caliber and 9mm hollow point bullets, hundreds of full metal jacket rounds, two shotgun shells, gun cases belonging to various handguns, large-capacity magazines and a holster, according to Landry's report.

In Kennedy's motion to hold Piechocki, she wrote that he has "prior drug possession charges" and a "history of threatening behavior with a firearm."

Additional factors jeopardizing the public's safety include the seriousness of the charges, Piechocki's reputation with the court, and the risk that he would try to intimidate witnesses, according to court records.

Dave Rogers is a staff writer with The Daily News. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.

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