TIMMINS, Ont. -- A bomb scare at a South Porcupine, Ont., residence has led to what Ontario Provincial Police are calling the largest prohibited weapons seizure in the detachment's history.
"We were acting on a search warrant to retrieve weapons that this individual was in possession of and when we did a scan of the residence, explosives were found," said OPP Const. Marc Depatie.
"That substantially elevated the severity of the situation."
After the OPP's explosives disposal unit successfully detonated three homemade explosive devices Friday afternoon, officers recovered 70 firearms of various descriptions, including semi- and fully automatic weapons and handguns.
Donald Chalmers, 26, is scheduled to appear in Timmins bail court Monday on a number of charges, including unauthorized possession of a firearm, breach of firearms regulations, unauthorized possession of restricted or prohibited firearms and unlawful possession of explosives.
Along with firearms, police also recovered silencers, knives, daggers, throwing stars, brass knuckles and nunchucks.
"From a police and community perspective, it's a relief that we have these weapons in police custody," said Depatie. "It's obvious that nobody amasses this type of arsenal for a legitimate purpose, so it was crucial that we received the information that we did and acted on it in a timely fashion.
“It would be safe to say this is the largest cache of prohibited weapons this detachment has ever recovered.”
As a precaution, approximately 200 South Porcupine residents in the area of the home were evacuated for most of the day Friday, some taking refuge in the Maurice Landry Community Centre.
"That was absolutely necessary when you look at the scope of the investigation and the number of firearms and types of explosives that were in play here," Depatie said. "It was a reasonable measure taken by the Timmins Police Service and OPP."
Depatie assured residents that all factors will be taken into consideration during Chalmers' bail hearing.
The investigation continues with the OPP's weapons enforcement unit and organized crime enforcement bureau.
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