http://www.courant.com/news/local/h...aug11,0,6290543.story?coll=hc-headlines-local
BERLIN -- Alan D. Zaleski lived alone in a rented house in a secluded area of Shuttle Meadow Avenue - among, authorities said, the booby traps he rigged on the property and the cache of weapons he stored inside the house.
On Wednesday, a tree cutter for Connecticut Light & Power Co. noticed a tripwire across Zaleski's driveway and what looked like an explosive device and alerted police.
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Police on Wednesday charged Zaleski, 45, with two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment. They said further charges would be filed when federal and state authorities finish searching the house.
"He said he feels secure with all these weapons," said Capt. Larry Schubert. "There may be a little paranoia."
Schubert said police found booby traps on Zaleski's driveway designed to create loud noises and scare off intruders. Closer to the house, they found more-dangerous versions - boards with nails sticking upward, all concealed beneath leaves.
And inside the house, they found a cache of weapons including two machine guns, two grenades - one fragmentation and one smoke - automatic rifles, gun silencers and explosives.
In 2002, Zaleski was charged with carrying or selling a dangerous weapon.
The red house Zaleski has rented for a decade at 863 Shuttle Meadow Ave. is set back from the street. It's the last house on the quiet road that ends at New Britain's water department facility.
Walter Blogoslawski Jr. of Milford owns the house, according to town hall records. Blogoslawski could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Police said the tree cutter approached the house to get permission to trim branches that might affect wires. He remembered the property well.
"The guy ran into the same thing last year - he set off one of the booby traps that made noise, and it damaged his hearing. But he never reported it to anybody," Schubert said Thursday.
When officers found the booby trap wires, they called in state police. Bomb squad and emergency services troopers searched the property until dark, then waited until Thursday morning to resume.
FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents also were at the house Thursday morning.
Zaleski arrived home Wednesday while officers were searching the property.
"After he showed up, he was very cooperative. He told us what he had and where it was," Schubert said. "The house isn't big, but there are a lot of places to search. There's a lot of land, and they're using metal detectors."
Police don't believe Zaleski was selling weapons or holding them for any group.
Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Clifford in New Britain raised Zaleski's bail to $500,000 during his arraignment Thursday morning. He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 25.
"This defendant poses a major danger to the community," said prosecutor Mary Rose Palmese.
