Wethersfield man accused of using 3D printer to make gun parts

Police in Wethersfield have accused a man of using a 3D printer to produce gun parts in his home.

Officers sought a warrant for the arrest of Evan Lewis, 26, after police were called to his home on March 14 following a domestic violence incident and found a printer creating the "lower receiver" for an "AR15-style rifle," according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

Officers said they also found what "appeared to be an ejection port" for an AR15-style gun next to the 3D printer, which was later seized, the affidavit said. Officers also saw "in plain sight" a ledger with part numbers and spools of polymer, according to the affidavit.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for the home after the initial observations by responding officers, reportedly seizing gun parts, including a "Glock-style slide," with no serial numbers, three laptops, handgun ammunition, shotgun and rifle ammunition, a firearm suppressor or silencer, 20.2 grams of crystal meth, 18.3 grams of marijuana, a white powder substance believed to be used as a cutting agent, 6.8 grams of crack cocaine and items commonly used in drug sales, police wrote in the affidavit.

Officers were called to the home after a woman told police Lewis threw an electric hand saw at her when she yelled at him for "doing this again" upon discovering a 3D printer in a spare bedroom, attached to a laptop, actively printing a gun part, the affidavit said. The laptop showed a picture of a firearm on the screen, according to the affidavit.

The woman suffered minor cuts to her right hand and declined medical attention.

Lewis was arrested two days later and charged with third-degree assault and disorderly conduct. Detectives in Wethersfield then sought a warrant for the firearm and drug offenses.

Lewis was charged last month with manufacturing a firearm, possession of a silencer, possession of narcotics, possession with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Judicial records indicate that Wethersfield police also arrested Lewis last July on a charge dealing with the failure to obtain a serial number when manufacturing a firearm.

Lewis is being held on bonds totaling $535,000 in several pending cases and is expected to appear in New Britain Superior Court on June 27.

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