Man faces firearms, vehicle altering charges
A Kunkletown man is scheduled to appear in court on charges of having firearms and altering vehicle identification numbers.
Donald Smith, 40, faces charges from an incident earlier this year.
According to the affidavit of probable cause filed this month by trooper Charles Inserra of the Pennsylvania State Police Troop N, Lehighton:
At 9:22 p.m. June 12, police were contacted by residents in the 100 block of Kendall Street, Ross Township, for a report of a burglary in progress.
Troopers Scott Wysocky, Mark Bower and Inserra arrived on scene at 9:24 p.m. and checked the exterior of the residence.
They determined there were no signs of forced entry, and all doors and windows appeared to be secure.
Police found multiple vehicles in the driveway with missing and/or altered vehicle identification numbers.
The complainants said there was suspicious activity at the residence involving their father’s friend, identified only as Smith.
They said that they believe multiple vehicles on the property may be stolen.
A search warrant authorization was obtained for the property at 1:30 a.m. June 13.
At 12:36 a.m. June 13, a vehicle drove up the driveway and was stopped by Wysocky and Inserra before reaching the residence.
He identified himself as Smith.
Smith said that he was at the scene to drop off a battery for the father’s motorcycle, and identified property that was his in the driveway area, including a red frame motorcycle parked near the garage of the residence, a silver pickup parked near the garage of the residence with a missing front hood, and a large black trailer parked near the front entrance to the house, along with everything in the trailer.
Smith was told that he could not enter the residence or be on the property at this time.
Seized from the search as evidence were a Savage model 17 HMR rifle with scope and brown stock; a Camouflage Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun with sling; a Smith & Wessen Sigma SW40VE pistol; a Smith & Wesson 642-2 .38 SPL revolver; a Squires Bingham model 16 .22LR rifle; a broken handcuff engraved “109” from the blue plastic Smith & Wesson revolver case; various caliber live rounds of ammunition; an unknown year silver Dodge 2500 extended cab pickup (VIN removed) from the north side of the residence; and a Red Harley Davidson Sportster motorcycle (VIN removed) from in front of the garage door on the north side of the residence.
A check of the registration plate on the Haulmark trailer returned to a woman from Bartonsville who said that she sold the trailer to Smith and that she left the plate on the trailer to allow him to transport it to where it was going to be stored. Smith was reportedly intending to use the trailer as a storage unit and not as an over-the-road transport. The plate is no longer valid.
Smith has several felony convictions, which prohibit him from having firearms. He is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing at 10 a.m. Dec. 7 before District Judge Colleen Mancuso of Brodheadsville.
