Man with warrant charged with possession of firearm

A Washington Township man who is a felon with an active warrant has been charged with the possession of a firearm.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by officer Deron Dorward of the Slatington Borough Police Department:

At 3:20 a.m. May 29, Dorward was parked in the 800 block of Main Street facing north when he saw a red Dodge Dakota traveling south that didn’t have any working headlamps.

After a few seconds, the headlamps were turned on as the vehicle continued traveling south on Main Street.

Again after a few seconds, the headlamps were turned off as the vehicle continued traveling south on Main Street. Dorward saw that there was no exhaust system on the vehicle.

Dorward conducted a traffic stop in the 1100 block of Main Street.

Dorward asked the driver, Ronald Carnes Jr., 25, if there was anything inside the vehicle he needed to know about.

Carnes hesitated and then told Dorward that there was a gun inside a lock box on the rear of the pickup that didn’t belong to him.

Dorward ran a check on Carnes and was alerted that there was an active probation warrant from Lehigh County for Carnes’ arrest.

Dorward also learned that Carnes’ driver’s license had been suspended, and he requested assistance from Sgt. Jason Nothstein from the Walnutport Police Department.

Nothstein arrived on scene, approached the vehicle, and requested that Carnes keep his hands where they could be seen and to exit the vehicle.

Once outside the vehicle, Dorward took Carnes into custody.

Dorward had located a black gun case inside the unlocked tool box attached to the bed of the pickup. Inside the case was a caliber handgun with a loaded magazine inserted into the firearm.

Dorward ran the series number for the firearm, and Carnes was not the registered owner.

Dorward conducted a criminal history on Carnes and learned that he was not allowed to possess a gun due to a conviction for criminal attempted burglary in 2012.

Carnes faces charges of persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms; driving while operating privilege is suspended or revoked; general lighting/head lamps; and exhaust systems, mufflers, and noise control.

He entered a guilty plea Wednesday in Lehigh County Central Court.