Gainesville man arrested on drug charges had illegal rapid-fire attachment and homemade silencer on guns

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dean Allen Harper, 55, was arrested yesterday on drug and firearm charges; when he was pulled over on November 21, he reportedly had a rifle with a rapid-fire trigger and a pistol with a homemade silencer in his vehicle, along with a book containing instructions for making bombs.

At about 3:11 p.m. on November 21, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop for a stop sign violation in the 7700 block of NE Waldo Road.

The deputy reported that he recognized Harper, the driver and only occupant of the vehicle, from previous criminal investigations and noted that he “exhibited numerous nervous indicators of illegal activity,” including inconsistent statements, the inability to stand still, mood swings, and “even what appear[ed] to be crying.” Harper reportedly denied consent to search his vehicle, so a K-9 team responded, and the K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics in the vehicle.

As soon as deputies started searching the vehicle, the arresting deputy reported that Harper became emotional and said something like, “Don’t do this to me, man.” The search reportedly produced about 6.7 grams of methamphetamines, two rifles, seven rounds of 300 Blackout armor-piercing ammunition in a magazine, a pistol with a homemade silencer made from an automotive oil filter, 22 rounds of .22 ammunition and four magazines for the pistol, a second pistol with a loaded magazine, handgun ammunition that didn’t match either pistol, a book with instructions for making improvised munitions, receipts for firearms in Harper’s name, and a methamphetamine pipe. One of the rifles, a .300 Blackout short-barreled rifle, had an auto sear trigger device that allows for rapid fire.

After Harper reportedly signed consent forms for a search of two properties, those searches reportedly produced a hunting rifle with ammunition, a third handgun with ammunition, a fourth handgun with ammunition, 1.9 grams of methamphetamines, a fifth handgun, and a drum magazine.

Post Miranda, Harper reportedly said all of the guns were his and admitted that he added the homemade silencer to the pistol and the auto sear trigger device to the rifle.

A sworn complaint was filed, charging Harper with nine counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, although the deputy wrote in the narrative that he was charging Harper with two counts of possession of methamphetamines, nine counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a trigger converting a firearm into a machine gun, and possession of drug paraphernalia. The sworn complaint notes that federal agencies may follow up with additional criminal charges.

Judge Denise Ferrero issued a warrant for Harper’s arrest on December 12, charging him with one count of possession of a machine gun, one count of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Judge Ferrero set bail at $22,000.

Court documents indicate that because adjudication of guilt was withheld on a previous drug felony, Harper is not a felon and is permitted to possess firearms. He is also under hospice care. He has one felony conviction (non-violent) and six misdemeanor convictions (three violent). He has been released on $22,000 bail.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.