ROCKPORT — More than two weeks after an emergency medical technician was arrested on an assortment of weapons charges, Rockport Police say they're still waiting to hear from federal agencies regarding the case.

And the EMT — James W. Atkinson, who claims working ties to federal agencies in his own right, along with an extensive background in intelligence — is now hospitalized for unknown reasons, his attorney says.

Robert Laramee, who represented Atkinson in Gloucester District Court as he faced charges stemming from his second arrest on Dec. 6, said the 47-year-old Atkinson was currently hospitalized somewhere outside Cape Ann.

Atkinson has been suspended without pay from Rockport's Ambulance Department pending the outcome of the charges, spawned initially by his alleged bilking of an overseas company that sought to buy surveillance equipment from a firm Atkinson supposedly heads.

Authorities say their investigation into Atkinson's background is continuing, though they added last week that no new charges are imminent.

Rockport Police Sgt. Mark Schmink said Atkinson and his attorneys appears to be becoming more cooperative with the probe. Atkinson's attorneys, Laramee and John Seabrook, met with police last week but Schmink wouldn't comment about what was discussed.

Police say they are still most concerned about nearly 30 guns registered to Atkinson, still yet to be accounted for.

Surveillance and more

Atkinson, who identifies himself as founder and president of Granite Island Group, a countersurveillance and technical security firm, was first arrested Dec. 1 on charges of larceny over $250 and obstruction of justice after he promised to deliver over $32,000 in surveillance equipment to a Switzerland-based gas turbine business but never delivered the goods after the money was deposited into his account.

Atkinson's license to carry firearms was suspended and he was required to turn over his guns. Police said he turned in three guns — two of them unregistered — along with over 2,000 rounds of more than 16 types of ammunition. But police noticed he handed in ammunition for guns he hadn't turned over, and obtained a "no-knock" search warrant for his apartment.

According to police reports, officers broke down the barricaded doors of Atkinson's Broadway apartment and subsequently discovered firearms that included two .22-caliber pistols, a .357-caliber handgun, a rifle; hundreds of rounds of ammunition for a wide range of firearms, including a Glock handgun; Mace; yellow smoke bombs; more than 1,000 pills without corresponding prescriptions; a tear gas launcher; a "U.S. Army" M190 rocket launcher; and "millions of dollars" worth of surveillance equipment, according to police.

Most of the weapons and ammunition were found inside a locked closet and would not be illegal to own if properly licensed. The rocket launcher is described in a U.S. Army manual as a 35mm, light, anti-tank practice rocket launcher, however there were no rockets found inside the home.

Truck still in place

No one answered the door last week at the apartment, situated between 31 Broadway and a steep hill lined with other homes overlooking the property.

The white box truck that police have said contained an assortment of "surveillance" equipment was still parked in front of the home last week.

Attempts to reach Atkinson by phone — using the contact number listed on his Granite Island Group Web site and which rings at his Rockport apartment — were also unsuccessful last week. The phone never rang, but sent the caller straight to automated voicemail, where the message indicated the "mailbox was full."

Atkinson pleaded not guilty to 16 charges — 13 misdemeanors and three felonies — in Gloucester District Court on Dec. 7.

Various documentation indicates many of Atkinson's statements about his background and qualifications, as expressed on the Granite Island Group's Web site (www.tscm.com), are valid. Atkinson claims to have been trained by the U.S. government in intelligence, covert operations, technical surveillance and cryptanalysis.

Police said some of Atkinson's claims have been verified by federal agencies, but they would not elaborate on which specific claims.

House testimony

Atkinson has also been cited by Forbes.com, Business Week, the New York Times, Washington Post and other publications as a telecommunications expert focused on global intelligence and "surveillance countermeasures."

And records show that, in April 2007, Atkinson provided written testimony for a U.S. House committee for an investigation into the U.S. Coast Guard's Deepwater program to replace or upgrade virtually all of its ships, planes and helicopters.

The past two years, Atkinson touted his expertise of hidden surveillance at SOURCE Boston, a major computer security conference.

According to SOURCE Founder and Executive Director Stacy Thayer, Atkinson was added to the conference roster through one of SOURCE's advisory board members who knew Atkinson and had seen his work. Thayer said conference officials reviewed Atkinson's discussion topic submission and researched his company before booking him for the event.

'Filled the room'

"When we spoke, he was definitely controversial and was one of our most talked-about presentations," Thayer said. "He filled an entire room for two hours at the end of the day.

"Several of our attendees asked that he speak again (this year), which he did," she added. "I think sometimes people were not sure whether or not to believe some of the stuff he was saying because he was pretty extreme — though they definitely appreciated the entertainment value of it."

Thayer said that several Boston FBI and other locally-based government agents were in the audience during Atkinson's talk — and none reported any defects in his presentation.

A profile for Atkinson on "LinkedIn" — a business-oriented social networking site — contains a detailed list of past jobs, education courses and experiences as well as personal interests and hobbies.

According to the profile, Atkinson founded Granite Island Group in August 1987 as "a small government contractor that provided highly specialized engineering and training services to several Boston and Washington, D.C. area government agencies and defense contractors."

He goes on to say that, in April 1992, the company began to partially diversify into the "non-government sector, and began offering goods and services to both government customers, and also to large corporations, small business, start-ups and private individuals."

He claims to have spent nearly seven years in the U.S. Air Force working as a computer technician and communications engineer from 1980 to 1987.

He also reports having worked as a computer programmer for CompuServe from 1976 to 1987; he said he developed an entire small business accounting software package and later sold the rights to all his software to CompuServe in 1987 in order to get cash and stocks from the company which he used to start Granite Island Group.

'Bug' sweeps

The resume also indicates he worked about seven years at the former AT&T Bell Laboratories facility in North Andover in the 1970s.

He lists his professional interests as "spy hunting, bug sweeping and wiretap detection" — and non-professional interests that include opera, classical symphony, "old school blues," fine arts exhibitions, and French cooking. And he says he plays the oboe, violin, cello and saxophone and is active in the Chinese martial art of Tai chi chuan, Aikido, a Japanese martial art, and "related subjects."

Court records show the state Department of Public Health confirmed Atkinson is a registered EMT, and Atkinson had been working part-time in that role for the town.

He is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on Jan. 4.