Nashville men accused of stealing 133 guns from 5 stores, feds say

Four Nashville men have been arrested after an investigation into the theft of about 133 guns from gun stores in Tennessee and Kentucky.

The men now face federal firearms charges, according to a Thursday morning announcement from U.S. Attorney Don Cochran of the Middle District of Tennessee.

Three of the suspects — Keith Swanson, 22; James D. Hudgens, 26; Karshma F. Dardy, Jr., 20; all from Nashville, Tennessee — are charged with conspiracy to steal, possess and sell stolen firearms, according to the statement. Another man, Keshawn Martin, 19, also of Nashville, was charged in a separate indictment with possession of a stolen firearm.

At a media conference on Thursday, Cochran said the charges were a result of "good police work" in Nashville, Sumner County, Kentucky and elsewhere across the state. He said the three suspects charged in the burglaries represented the leadership of an informal, loosely organized local gang.

Swanson began recruiting individuals, including children, to participate in gun store burglaries in January 2018, according to court documents. Federal agents investigating the burglaries found “for sale” listings and purchased several of the stolen guns from Hudgens and Swanson, according to Cochran's statement.

Hudgens and Swanson were charged in a criminal complaint on Feb. 23 and taken into federal custody.

A Feb. 23 interview with Dardy, who was in custody at the Sumner County Jail on car-jacking charges, implicated him in the burglaries, according to authorities. He was charged in a federal criminal complaint on Feb. 28.

Martin was also charged in a federal criminal complaint on March 9, after allegedly running from a traffic stop in Nashville. When Metro police caught him, investigators said, they found a pistol that been stolen during the string of burglaries.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have recovered some of the stolen guns, tracking them through their serial numbers. But some of the guns remain unaccounted for, said Acting ATF Special Agent in Charge Jack Webb.

Cochran said the investigation was ongoing.

"We are continuing to look at other members of potentially this gang," he said. "We feel like we have probably the leadership of the gang, or the folks that were recruiting in this particular instance."

The five burglaries driving the investigation

Whittaker Gun Store in Owensboro, Kentucky, was burglarized on Jan. 10, and approximately 63 firearms were stolen.

Wheeler’s Fastway Gun and Pawn in Bowling Green was burglarized on Jan. 17, and approximately 26 firearms were stolen.

Kwik Cash Pawn Shop in Smyrna was burglarized on Jan. 19, and eight firearms were stolen.

King’s Firearms and More in Columbia was burglarized on Feb. 13 and approximately 24 firearms were stolen.

Guns and Gear in Paris, Tennessee was burglarized on Feb. 18 and approximately 12 firearms were stolen.

Reach Adam Tamburin at atamburin@tennessean.com and 615-726-5986. Follow him on Twitter @tamburintweets.