A man stole 15 guns from an Oakland County resident who had given him the entry code to his home, and then he openly took photos of the guns and sent text messages to sell them, officials said.
Gun theft reported
Oakland County deputies said they were called March 14 to a home on Ruth Avenue in Pontiac. The homeowner said there were no signs of forced entry into his house, but 15 guns had been stolen.
The homeowner said Glock pistols, a shotgun, cash, and a coin collection had been taken from a large firearm safe made of 12-gauge steel.
Officials determined the firearm safe had been broken open by a sledgehammer and a crowbar.
The homeowner told deputies that he had entrusted three people with the entry code to the home, including Tyler James Zalman, 31, of Pontiac.
When officials spoke to the other two people who had been entrusted with the home entry code, they both consented to have their homes and DNA searched. Neither had a prior criminal history, and authorities said they didn’t appear to “have the physical capability to strike and pry open the large firearm safe.”
No stolen guns, cash, or coins were found in their homes, according to the criminal complaint.
Searching Zalman’s home
A magistrate with 50th District Court authorized a search warrant for Zalman’s home on Edwards Street in Pontiac, as well as for his car.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives spoke with Zalman on March 16, and he said he didn’t steal the guns. He did not give officials permission to search his home or car.
Agents said they found a medicine bottle containing a gram of cocaine inside his car.
When Zalman’s home was searched, his significant other, an infant, and a 1-year-old child were inside, according to authorities.
Here’s what officials said they found in the home:
- A Remington M 887 Digital 12-gauge shotgun with a sawed-off barrel and stock.
- Five shotgun shells were close to the gun.
- A Springfield XDS .45-caliber pistol loaded with a round in the chamber, and a loaded magazine inserted.
- A Cobray CM-11 9 mm firearm without a shoulder stock loaded with one round in the chamber, and a loaded extended magazine inserted.
- A Colt MKIV .45-caliber pistol with black rubber grips loaded with one round in the chamber, and a loaded magazine inserted.
- This gun is registered to the homeowner on Ruth Avenue.
- A Browning Arms 9 mm pistol with pearl grips loaded with one round in the chamber, and a loaded magazine inserted.
- Knotted plastic baggies containing 1.72 grams and 10.51 grams of cocaine.
- Drug paraphernalia, such as a digital scale, a strainer, a knife, a baking sheet, and a Pyrex measuring cup. These items were covered in cocaine, officials said.
- Pictures of guns and text messages about selling guns and drugs.
Pictures of guns
Officials said they received a search warrant for the pictures they found at the home and in the car.
The first photo was dated Jan. 4 and shows two Glock .45-caliber pistols, including a Glock model 30s that belongs to the homeowner on Ruth Avenue. The picture shows the guns on a bathroom sink inside Zalman’s home, according to the criminal complaint.
An image from Jan. 6 shows nine guns on a table, four of which were found during the search warrant at Zalman’s home, authorities said. The picture was taken inside Zalman’s home, they said.
The Cobray CM-11 is circled in red.
The other five guns also appear to be among those that were stolen from the homeowner on Ruth Avenue, officials said.
“These firearms appear to be staged in a manner that could be used as an advertisement to entice future buyers,” the criminal complaint says.
A picture from Feb. 3 shows a cache of guns, a sledgehammer, and a crowbar lying next to the pried-open safe at the home on Ruth Avenue, according to authorities.
Among the guns is the Remington M 887 Digital 12-gauge shotgun, which is circled in red.
Officials also found a photo that was taken Feb. 8 and shows the stolen Colt MKIV pistol and the Springfield XDS pistol lying on a coffee table and pointing at the 1-year-old child.
That photo was also taken from inside Zalman’s home, according to the criminal complaint.
Zalman was seen in one picture manufacturing suspected cocaine base on Feb. 22 inside his kitchen, court records show. The Springfield XDS pistol was lying on the counter next to him, officials said.
On March 7, a picture was taken of a Remington M 887 Digital 12-gauge shotgun with a sawed-off barrel and stock. It was lying in someone’s lap inside Zalman’s home, the criminal complaint says.
Zalman can be seen in the final photo wearing the same clothes as the person who had the shotgun in their lap, authorities said.
That final photo was taken March 8 from Zalman’s home and shows him sitting on the couch with three guns, including the shotgun and Colt MKIV.
Zalman advertises guns, drugs via text
Agents read more than a dozen messages that had been sent between Jan. 18 and Jan. 28. In those messages, Zalman advertised and/or discussed selling at least six of the guns, including Glocks, according to the criminal complaint.
Zalman specifically told someone he had two Glock .45-caliber pistols for sale, and the guns in question fit the description of the ones that were pictured next to the bathroom sink, court records show.
“Based on Zalman’s messages and the firearms not being recovered from Zalman’s residence, it appears Zalman sold firearms that were not a part of a personal collection for a profit,” the criminal complaint says.
He sent messages to multiple people between January and mid-March to explain his drug trafficking and the guns he had, officials said.
Zalman told others that he was “well-protected” and “a full-time coke dealer,” the complaint says.
Officials said he advertised that he manufactures crack, negotiated prices, directed customers to his home, and enticed others to find him more customers, according to authorities.
“Yea get me some crack heads I’ll hook ya up,” Zalman said in one message, according to the complaint. “This is the best dope around man, everyone who tries it loves it.”
Oakland County Jail phone calls
Zalman made a series of phone calls from March 19 to March 25 while in the Oakland County Jail.
During a call on March 21, five days after his interview with authorities, Zalman told someone that his gun and drug violations were being investigated, saying law enforcement had him “dead to rights,” court records show.
Charges
Zalman’s criminal history includes a guilty plea for delivering/manufacturing marijuana and charges for domestic violence.
The criminal complaint concludes there’s probable cause that Zalman, despite being a convicted felon, possessed guns and was involved in drug trafficking.
He is also accused of profiting from the illegal sale of guns.