Gun shop’s tip leads to arrest of Lehigh convicted felon

Published: Updated:
Photo via the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

A convicted felon was arrested Wednesday after several firearms were found in his home, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

An employee at a local gun shop contacted the sheriff’s office after 29-year-old Michael Whatley, of Lehigh Acres, attempted to purchase a firearm and made concerning comments.

Whatley mentioned he had explosives, several firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition, the sheriff’s office said.

“This is a great example of teamwork between our citizens and the hardworking members of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office who work around the clock to aggressively pursue criminal complaints,” Undersheriff Carmine Marceno said.

Detectives located the following items during a search warrant of Whatley’s home:

  • Two 9mm pistols.
  • Two high powered assault rifles .556 caliber along with high powered scopes.
  • A Glock conversion kit to transition a pistol to a rifle.
  • Approximately 1,500 rounds of ammunition.
  • Nine high capacity (30 rounds) 9mm magazines.
  • Several 30 round, high capacity assault rifle magazines.
  • 100 feet of waterproof cannon fuse.
  • One half-pound of Tannerite exploding powder.

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