SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Two people were arrested in Springfield last week and over a dozen guns were seized when the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office raided a home on Cedar St. as part of an ongoing burglary investigation.

Sheriff Jack Campbell said the investigation started on Dec. 14 when deputies learned a utility terrain vehicle had been stolen from the area of Cornell and Taylor Avenues. The UTV was found three days later and deputies subsequently identified 34-year-old Nicholas Groth as being connected to the theft.

Groth has 22 prior arrests, including for assault, larceny, burglary, weapons and drug offenses. At the time he was identified in the burglary investigation, he was 10 months into a 24-month-long probation sentence stemming from a December 2020 home invasion and domestic battery case.

The Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant for Groth’s home on Cedar and raided it on Jan. 6. They arrested Groth and 38-year-old Rachael Followell, who had an outstanding Sangamon County traffic warrant.

Deputies found four rifles, including a scoped AR-15, and eight handguns inside Groth’s home. They also found parts to eight other guns, including AR-15 barrels; magazines for pistols and rifles, some of which were loaded; and several hundred rounds of rifle and pistol ammunition. They also found just over four grams of methamphetamine, $264 in cash and a stolen log splitter.

Groth is charged with possession of stolen property, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm without a FOID card. Both he and Followell posted bond and have been released.