No doubt many Butler residents shuddered over news that a city man, Curt Radovich, 39, of 406 N. Sixth Ave., was housing a cache of more than 400 weapons in his home and allegedly was selling guns without a license — possibly to felons prohibited from owning weapons.

Beyond the close-to-home concern about how many Radovich-sold weapons might be lurking in the Butler area, many residents no doubt wondered — and continue to wonder — whether weapons that could be traced to Radovich have been involved in any robberies or shootings, fatal or otherwise, in the region or beyond.

Those are legitimate questions amid the reality that the investigation into Radovich and his dealings is likely to consume many months, if not more than a year.

Granted, like anyone else arrested, Radovich must be presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the evidence confiscated by agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as evidence gathered in an undercover operation including controlled weapons buys, is, barring unexpected developments, building a strong case against the defendant.

The news of Radovich's gun-sales operation and his arrest didn't provoke an immediate outpouring of reaction from people in Radovich's neighborhood or elsewhere in the city. That's not surprising, considering the offenses alleged.

But in comments that were received by the Butler Eagle, concern was expressed that Radovich was released on $10,000 unsecured bond. It was felt that the bond figure should have been much higher, even as high as $1 million.

It was reported that Radovich had sold guns on the Internet, at flea markets and at gun shows, and had done so for years, without arousing suspicion and without anyone bothering to check whether he was legally entitled to sell weapons — indeed, whether he even was legally allowed to own weapons.

While apparently living in the Evans City area in 1990, Radovich was charged with aggravated assault and possession of a prohibited weapon. He was convicted of aggravated assault in 1991.

What's surprising about the Radovich case is that the defendant lives in a neighborhood where houses sit close together, where most people know everyone else and where people don't miss the comings-and-goings of neighbors, yet nobody suspected that Radovich might be doing something seriously wrong.

At least they weren't willing to express such suspicions to anyone else, or call authorities' attention to it.

Meanwhile, if the city police over the years had suspicions about Radovich's doings, they didn't pursue those suspicions, at least not in a timely way that would have resulted in Radovich's arrest long before Thursday.

During the course of their undercover probe of Radovich, agents and other sources told Radovich they had criminal records and weren't able to obtain guns legally. Yet, allegedly, the defendant agreed to sell them weapons.

Still, the federal agents who converged on the Radovich home at about 6 a.m. Thursday might have been surprised at the extent of the weapons cache they found in the house. The home, which Radovich shared with his wife and two daughters, had guns in every room, and thousands of rounds of ammunition also were stored there.

In addition, Thursday morning, agents removed more than a dozen guns from a purple minivan parked on the street.

The firearms found in Radovich's house, which included AK-47s and other high-powered weapons, made the home seem more like an armed fortress than a family home.

As the community continues to ponder the Radovich case and his apparent willingness to put into the hands of dangerous people guns that could wreak horrific results, residents should reflect on how this case impacts the city's and county's reputation. They further can wonder how this situation was able to evolve into such a monstrous enterprise in a city that, at the southern end of the new General Richard Butler Bridge, touts itself as "A Great Place to Live."

It can only be hoped that the probe into Radovich's allegedly illegal gun transactions exonerates local and county law enforcement authorities from the possibility of having made errors in judgment in regard to the defendant, if they ever had contacts with him.

Meanwhile, some questions remain:

Where are the guns Radovich sold over the years? How many still are in Butler and its environs? Will they have ties to crime or death?

And, how much damage have they already wrought?