Man charged with nearly 80 gun-related charges

A Birnamwood man has been charged with 79 felonies after a search warrant at his home resulted in the seizure of a cache of long guns and handguns, many of them manufactured without serial numbers. Kyle J. Matsche, 34, faces 71 counts of possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a felony, seven counts of selling or possessing a firearm silencer, and one count of possession of narcotic drugs. He is also charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia. During an appearance in Shawano-Menominee County Court on Dec. 26, Judge William Kussel Jr. set bond at $750,000 cash and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Dec. 28 before Judge Katherine Sloma. Matsche waived the time limits for such a hearing when he appeared before Sloma, who scheduled a status conference for Jan. 30. According to the criminal complaint, officers were called Dec. 19 to Matsche Farms on County Road N in the Town of Almon, where Kyle Matsche was allegedly having a physical altercation with several family members. The family said he appeared to be under the influence of drugs, and they were trying to restrain him and had taken two guns away from him because he was talking about harming himself, the complaint said. The responding officer saw an AR-style rifle and a pistol similar to a Glock but with no serial number and was told Matsche builds the guns as a hobby. Because Matsche was convicted of felony bail jumping on several occasions between 2008 and 2010, he is prohibited by law from possessing firearms. The officer obtained a search warrant for Matsche’s home, looking for ghost guns manufactured without identifying serial numbers or markings, along with any tool to make firearms. The search yielded another 46 long guns, 23 handguns and 1,315 pounds of ammunition. Also confiscated were a digital scale and a bag of drug paraphernalia that both tested positive for the presence of fentanyl, according to the complaint. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms advised it would take over the case after Shawano County authorities seized any firearms, ammunition, any firearm-manufacturing components and protective gear, according to the complaint.