Authorities found an arsenal of firearms in the storage unit of a felon last month and arrested him, according to a criminal complaint.
Jason Pennington, 44, of Carbondale, faces 15 felony counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, one felony count of intent to deliver methamphetamine and other drug-related charges.
Pennington was convicted of felony burglary July 5, 2010, in Pennsylvania, making it illegal for him to own a firearm.
Pennington (SUBMITTED)
Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher said Pennington’s arrest stems from law enforcement’s increased focus on the illegal possession of firearms by felons and straw purchasing, or purchasing a gun for someone who is prohibited by law from possessing one.
“The fact that this defendant, who is a convicted felon, had access to this type of firepower should serve as a wakeup call for all of us,” Gallagher said. “Some of these firearms were straw purchased at gun dealerships and that will not be tolerated. We will aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who purchases firearms on behalf of a prohibited person.”
According to the criminal complaint:
On April 22, Carbondale police began an undercover investigation into suspected prostitution in Carbondale.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers monitored activity on a website used to facilitate prostitution, which allows users to advertise using explicit descriptions and images of available sexual services, as well as payment methods and locations.
Pennington texted an undercover officer posing as a prostitute and agreed to meet at a Brooklyn Street location at 11:30 a.m. on April 25.
Pennington told the undercover officer he needed to go to his storage unit in Wilkes-Barre to get “more stuff.”
He planned to pick up the undercover officer, who he thought was a prostitute, and drive to the unit.
He agreed to supply narcotics and cash for sexual services.
When Pennington pulled up to the agreed-upon location on Brooklyn Street, police arrested him.
Following his arrest, officers searched Pennington and found 5.6 grams of crystal methamphetamine, cash and the cellphone used to plan the transaction.
Officers then searched his vehicle, a Honda Civic, and found cash, and multiple bullet casings.
Pennington admitted to having planned to meet the undercover agent to exchange meth and money for sexual services.
When officers asked Pennington if he had narcotics or firearms in the storage unit referenced in his text, he said there were no drugs, but admitted it contained multiple firearms.
Police transported Pennington to his storage unit on Enterprise Drive, Carbondale, where he provided officers with a code to enter the unit. Officers found 15 firearms, including AR-style rifles, shotguns and handguns, inside.
Pennington remains at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.
If convicted, Pennington faces a maximum penalty of 172 years in prison, a $325,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following imprisonment.