It was at 3:16AM on Saturday, December 17th when the security alarm at The Great Texas Gun Store on State Highway 21 East of Bryan alerted and started the response to and investigation of a burglary that netted the thieves 80 guns.

On Wednesday, January 4th, 2012, 18 days after the theft, one of the handguns that had been reported stolen was recovered at the time of an arrest in Reno, Nevada.

The handgun, a .40 caliber Springfield semi-automatic pistol, was in the possession of Mark Stephen Mechikoff when he was arrested by the Reno Police Department at the Circus-Circus Casino while involved in a disturbance. Mechikoff was charged with Possession of Stolen Property, Unlawful Possession, Possession of a Firearm Under the Influence, and Carry a Concealed Weapon.

Mechikoff is from San Francisco, California area and has a criminal history including: drugs, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Mechikoff is on parole in California and was wanted for parole violations at the time of his arrest.

Since the time of arrest/recovery, Brazos County Sheriff's Investigators have been working with Washoe County Sheriff's Detectives and ATF Agents to follow-up on the investigation. Sheriff's Investigators are currently in Reno, Nevada to continue the investigation.

The Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in this case. Should anyone have information that could be helpful to the investigation they can call the Brazos County Sheriff's Office at 979.361.4940 or Brazos County Crime Stoppers at 979.775.TIPS (8477).