Saugus man charged with illegal possession of firearms

SAUGUS ? When Saugus Police served a psychiatric hold order Thursday, they found more than they expected.According to Chief Domenic DiMella, police found a stash of 31 firearms. As a result, police charged Eric Dalbo, 49, of Felton Street with 31 counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, as well as possession of a deceptive weapon device, unlawful possession of ammunition, possession of a large capacity feeding device/weapon and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.?This was a very dangerous situation for police officers, for the suspect and for the public,” DiMella said. “Thankfully, no one was injured. I want to recognize our Saugus police officers for their professionalism and carefulness in the resolution of this case.”According to Saugus police, Saugus police officers arrived at Dalbo’s home at noon on Thursday to serve the Section 12 order and transport him to a local hospital. Upon arrival, no one answered the door at his residence. Officers observed that Dalbo’s vehicle was parked at the residence. Given the emergency nature of the Section 12 order and the fear that Dalbo could harm himself or another person, officers made entry to the home by an unlocked rear door.Dalbo appeared at the top of a stairway and asked officers if he could change his clothes before he left the home. He invited officers upstairs, and, in plain view in his bedroom, they observed a large quantity of unsecured firearms on his bed, next to the bed and hanging on several walls of the room.Police left the room and removed Dalbo from the home, and left the building secured so that police could apply for a search warrant. After receiving a warrant, officers found a total of 31 firearms in the bedroom, an office and an upper floor storage room.The search was conducted by the Saugus Police Criminal Investigations Division with assistance from members of The Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms Bureau and Malden Police Drug Unit.Police said the charges carry additional penalties, as Dalbo is a repeat offender with multiple convictions. He was found guilty in 1996 for the unlawful possession of a firearm as well as drug offenses dating back to the late 1980s.Police also found badges that are believed to belong to the state police and the U.S. Capitol Police.Dalbo was transported to an area hospital, under the psychiatric hold order, where he is currently guarded by Saugus police officers. He will be arraigned at a later date.