Gregory Dale Hayes, 53, is facing life in prison on the charge, which is the result of a yearlong investigation by federal authorities that included surveillance of Hayes' home at 6670 W. Hemmer Drive in Wasilla.
Investigators say to avoid detection, Hayes kept his arsenal in two safes in the garage of his girlfriend's mother, who lives across the street. A search of that property turned up 28 firearms -- semiautomatic rifles, pistols and a shotgun -- a military-style flak jacket, body armor, six hollowed-out hand grenade bodies with attached fuse assemblies, two AR-15 "golf ball launchers," and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, according to court documents.
The indictment, returned Thursday, alleges simply that Hayes, who has multiple felony convictions for assault as well as weapon and drug offenses, illegally possessed the firearms. But other court documents raise the possibility that Hayes might have had something more sinister in mind.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives say they uncovered evidence that Hayes was trying to complete the grenades and buy or build silencers for his firearms, which included military-style weapons with large magazines. Investigators say he may also have been trying to get some of them converted to work as machine guns.
Hayes repeatedly sent his girlfriend and ex-girlfriend to buy weapons for him from firearm dealers, knowing that he could not legally purchase them, according to an affidavit filed in court by ATF Special Agent Thomas King.
Why Hayes wanted such a collection was not entirely clear. His girlfriend repeatedly told investigators they were "investments," according to King's affidavit.
"People don't ordinarily buy firearms, shoot them, take the time to load them and keep them loaded, buy bullet proof vests, and components for improvised explosive devices, and look into the acquisition of silencers, strictly for the purpose of investment," King observed during an interview with the girlfriend, according to the affidavit.
King asked her again what the weapons were for. The girlfriend hung her head, got quiet and said, "I didn't think he was serious," King wrote. She then downplayed comments Hayes made in which he said he wanted to track his probation officer by putting a global positioning system on his vehicle and then do "something" when he encountered the officer, according to King's affidavit.
Hayes has been ordered held in custody pending trial. His attorney was out of the office Friday and could not be reached for comment.
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