ROCKLAND (UPDATE) —  A Rockport man remains at the Knox County Jail on $1,500 cash bail after he made his initial appearance in Knox County Court Dec. 20.

Caleb Meklin, 27, was arrested on Dec. 17 and charged with attempted possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, attempted violation of a protection from abuse order and unsworn falsification.

According to the affidavit filed in Knox County Court by Rockland Police Detective Sergeant Alex Gaylor, he was notified by an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that Meklin was denied buying a gun due to an active protection from abuse order that included the prohibition of owning a firearm.

The agent said that Meklin allegedly attempted to purchase the gun, a Taurus 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, on Nov. 6 at a licensed firearms dealer in Rockland.

During the investigation, Gaylor found that he had prior convictions for violating a protection from abuse order in 2016 and 2017 and domestic violence terrorizing in 2019.

Police said that Meklin falsely indicated on the application that he was not subject to a court order.

Meklin said he wanted a gun to protect his home and did not know he could not possess a gun when trying to buy it, according to the court document.

He told police that it was an honest mistake and he was in a hurry and failed to read every line on the application.

Meklin will be on supervised release after he posts bail which includes an order from the state not to possess any weapons or firearms.

His next court appearance is Feb. 24 for a dispositional conference.

On December 17, 2021, Rockland Police, with the assistance of the Rockport Police Department, arrested Caleb Meklin, 27, of Rockport, on the charges of attempted possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, attempted violation of a protective order and unsworn falsification.

According to Rockland PD news release, on its Facebook page, the charges come after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) notified Rockland Police that Meklin had allegedly attempted to purchase a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Rockland while being a prohibited person.

“The attempted gun sale was thwarted after the required federal background check alerted the firearms dealer to Meklin’s status,” said the news release.