Weapons Charges Land Local Man in Jail

A Stratford man is being held in $500,000 bond on a series of weapons related charges after an investigation by members of the Connecticut State Police Statewide Urban Violence Cooperative Crime Control Task Force (gang unit) resulted in an arrest warrant being served against Henshawn Bendolph, 27, of Birch Drive. 

After an extensive investigation, on May 2, Bendolph was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, two counts of theft of a firearm and possession of a prohibited assault weapon in relation to the case.

The arrest is related to a shooting incident that place on Shanley Street on April 23, police said.

It was reported that five days later on April 28, members of the state police gang unit received a tip from a confidential informant that Bendolph was residing in the Cambridge Apartments on Main Street in Bridgeport.

On May 2, police spoke with Bendolph’s former probation officer, who noted that Bendolph gave her information that he was residing at that apartment complex and state police began undercover surveillance. On April 20 in an unrelated incident, Bendolph was arrested in connection with a motor vehicle stop with 11 grams of cocaine in his possession in a case where the driver of the vehicle told police that he picked Bendolph up at the apartment complex.

Based on the information, on May 2 police obtained a search warrant for Bendolph’s whereabouts, any firearm evidence and record information. On that same day at about 4:20 p.m., police entered Bendolph’s apartment and arrested him without incident.

Inside a closet police recovered a firearm magazine. And inside a blue duffel bag found outside the apartment directly under an open window were two firearms, a loaded Smith & Wesson revolved and an unloaded Thompson assault rifle. Police reported that the ammunition magazine found in the closest matched the type used in the assault weapon.

Bendolph was questioned by police and initially stated that the weapons found outside under his window were not his. When it was pointed out that the ammunition in his closest matched that used by a weapon outside his window, Bendolph then told police that he was holding the firearms for a friend and that they have been in his possession for a week.

Bendolph was then transported to Stratford police headquarters where the evidence was processed.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the Smith & Wesson revolver was reported stolen in Milford in January 2009. 

Furthermore, the assault weapon was discovered to have been reported stolen out of Westport in March 1998. Police noted that according to CT General Statutes, a weapon of this type is prohibited from ownership in the state unless it was registered prior to the ban in 1994.

After processing, Bendolph was being held in cell two at the Stratford police pending a court appearance on May 11.