Bridgeport Man Arrested After Trying To Sell Gun To Undercover Detective: Police

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A Bridgeport man was arrested Wednesday evening after, Stamford police say, he tried selling a stolen gun to an undercover detective. A woman who was with the man was also arrested on drug charges.

Tony Rodriguez, 46, was charged with criminal possession of a firearm; criminal possession of ammunition; illegal transfer of a firearm; illegal possession of a high-capacity magazine; altering ID marks on a firearm; theft of a firearm; and weapons in a motor vehicle.

The Stamford Police Department's Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad received information that Rodriguez was looking to sell a gun, and a detective working undercover contacted him as a potential buyer, Assistant Stamford Police Chief Richard Conklin said.

Rodriguez and the undercover detective exchanged text messages and arranged to meet at the Red Carpet Inn on East Main Street in Stamford on Aug. 27 around 7 p.m., Conklin noted.

Upon arriving at the meeting location, officers from various units moved in and detained Rodriguez and Anaira Eisenlohr, 44, of Bridgeport.

Officers initially couldn't locate a firearm, but upon further inspection, a loaded Sig Sauer P226 9mm handgun inside of a holster was found on the other side of a guardrail in a wooded area near where Rodriguez and Eisenlohr were standing, Conklin said.

"[Officers] knew that it was the gun, because the seller, Rodriguez, had texted them a picture of the gun prior as they negotiated the sale," Conklin said, noting a high-capacity magazine loaded with 15 9mm rounds was also discovered.

Rodriguez admitted to police in a post-arrest interview that he tossed the gun when he saw officers approaching, police said.

A serial number on the gun was scratched off, but a second serial number on the weapon was preserved, according to Conklin, who said the gun was found to be one of 68 firearms stolen from a Federal Firearms License dealer in Virginia in 2005.

Police found Eisenlohr in possession of 3.7 grams of crack cocaine and a wax fold of fentanyl in her purse, Conklin said.

Later on while being processed at the jail, officers found an additional 1.6 grams of crack cocaine and $263 on her person, Conklin added.

Eisenlohr was charged with possession of narcotics and possession of narcotics with intent to sell. She was given a $10,000 bond, and a court date of Sept. 10.

Rodriguez's charges came with a $150,000 bond. His court date is also scheduled for Sept. 10.