Teen faces trial in adult court on gun charges
A Norristown teenager will stand trial as an adult for his alleged role in a gun trafficking network.
NORRISTOWN » A Norristown teenager will stand trial as an adult for his alleged role as one of the ringleaders of a gun trafficking network that illegally obtained and sold 44 firearms using a straw purchase scheme and operated in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties.
Rahajahi Taylor Batchelor, 17, of the 1100 block of Green Street, was certified as an adult by Montgomery County Judge Cheryl L. Austin on multiple charges including corrupt organizations, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, illegal sale or transfer of firearms, criminal use of a communications facility, possession of a firearm by a minor and conspiracy in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between March and August.
Austin set Batchelor’s bail at $250,000 cash, and he is currently being housed at the Lehigh County Prison, which can accommodate housing juveniles separate from older prisoners.
Batchelor was one of 14 people – nine adults and five juveniles – arrested in September in connection with the alleged gun trafficking network. Given Batchelor’s alleged leadership role in the organization, prosecutors sought to transfer his case to adult criminal court where punishments can be more severe.
During the hearing, prosecutors presented evidence of the severity and sophistication of Batchleor’s alleged crimes and the impact of the crimes on the community of Norristown and the entire Philadelphia region. The case was handled by Assistant District Attorney Kathleen McLaughlin, who is captain of the district attorney’s firearms unit.
“This 17-year-old was one of the ringleaders that orchestrated the straw purchases of 44 firearms by three adults and then illegally sold those firearms to people who could not legally buy firearms for themselves,” District Attorney Kevin R. Steele alleged on Monday. “This defendant, along with his co-conspirators, has done a tremendous amount of damage to the safety of our community here in Montgomery County and in the greater southeastern Pennsylvania region.”
Juvenile court cases are handled differently than adult criminal cases. In juvenile court, there are no juries and all cases are handled by a judge. While in juvenile court the focus is more on rehabilitation, in adult court proceedings the focus is more on punishment.
Additionally, juvenile courts aren’t bound by the same sentencing guidelines used in adult courts.
Punishments in juvenile court can include placement in a juvenile detention facility, a rehabilitation facility or house arrest.
But if Batchelor is convicted of all the charges in adult court he potentially faces decades in prison.
At the time of the arrests in September, Steele alleged the organization’s “sole purpose is to make money by putting firearms in the hands of people who cannot lawfully buy and possess guns.”
With the charges, authorities alleged Anthony Jamaris McCrary, 23, Demetrius Huggins Jr., 21, and Shaireese Liles, 21, all of Philadelphia, purchased multiple firearms between July and August on behalf of the gun trafficking network led by Batchelor and Terrence Barker, 19, of Philadelphia, and Mikal Scott, 18, of the 7900 block of Rolling Green Road, Cheltenham.
McCrary purchased 35 firearms, Huggins purchased five firearms and Liles purchased four firearms via straw purchases at federally licensed gun dealers, allegedly on behalf of the gun trafficking organization. The purchases were made at seven federally licensed firearms dealers in Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia counties, authorities alleged.
A straw purchase occurs when a person with a clean background purchases firearms on behalf of another person to conceal the true ownership of the firearm. Those who are unable to legally purchase firearms include convicted felons, domestic violence offenders, juveniles and mentally ill individuals.
Ashon Jared Pearson, 23, of the 1400 block of Arch Street, Norristown, Jamil Brown, 19, of Philadelphia, John McDonald, 21, of Philadelphia, and Clarence Codada, 18, of Philadelphia, also were charged with allegedly participating in the gun trafficking network.
Four other juvenile males who ranged in age from 14 to 17 also faced charges and their cases were handled in juvenile court.
The organization had multiple members performing a variety of roles, including purchasing and marketing or sales of the firearms, detectives alleged.
Steele previously revealed only some of the 44 firearms had been recovered, including one that was linked to a shooting incident in Cheltenham and another seized during a traffic stop of a juvenile in Abington.
Thirty-five of the guns remain on the streets.
Steele urged anyone who may have knowledge about the whereabouts of the guns to contact authorities.
The investigation began on Aug. 9, when county detectives were routinely reviewing paperwork related to multiple gun purchases by individuals and noticed McCrary’s alleged purchases of a large number of guns from licensed dealers, according to court papers.
The following day, on Aug. 10, Norristown police responded to Suburban Community Hospital for a report of a gunshot victim, identified as Batchelor. The investigation determined Batchelor had accidentally shot himself in his arm inside his Norristown residence. During a subsequent search of the residence, police found two gun boxes that had been purchased on the day of the shooting by McCrary, who is Batchelor’s cousin but did not live at the Norristown residence. Neither gun had been reported stolen, indicating possible “straw purchases,” authorities alleged.
The investigation used sur veillance, cellphone and social media analysis, search warrants and reviews of federal firearms forms to uncover the participants in the organization, according to court papers.
The Electronic Record of Sale system, part of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Track and Trace Initiative, was a key tool used by investigators to track the organization’s illegal firearms purchases.
The investigation was led by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit and the Norristown Police Department.