Pottstown man admits to carrying gun without a license

A Pottstown man potentially faces a prison sentence after he admitted to illegally possessing a handgun, a crime discovered by police as they investigated a domestic dispute.

Desmond Tyon Bennett, 32, of the 200 block of King Street, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to a felony charge of firearms not to be carried without a license in connection with the March 27, 2023, incident at a North Franklin Street residence.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Bennett, who will undergo drug, alcohol and mental health evaluations.

Bennett was remanded to the county jail without bail to await a sentencing hearing later this year.

Bennett, who previously listed addresses along South Street and North Charlotte Street in Pottstown, faces a possible maximum sentence of 1½ to 5 years in prison on the charge.

An investigation began about 7 p.m. March 27, when Pottstown police responded to a residence in the 100 block of North Franklin Street for a report of a domestic dispute during which a woman said her ex-boyfriend was at the residence and armed with a handgun, according to the criminal complaint filed by Pottstown Police Officer Nikolaus Stoltzfus.

Arriving officers observed Bennett walking in the area of Franklin and Chestnut streets and when they advised him to stop he ran south on Franklin Street toward King Street, according to court papers. After a brief pursuit, police took Bennett into custody in the 400 block of Apple Street.

Police found Bennett possessing a Springfield Armory 9mm handgun in a holster inside his pants.

“A check of Bennett’s history shows he is not licensed to carry a concealed firearm,” Stoltzfus alleged.

A witness told police he had seen Bennett running in the 400 block of High Street and throwing something into a garbage can outside a business on the block. Police checked the garbage can and found a .22-caliber revolver in the can and that gun had previously been reported stolen, according to the criminal complaint.

During a search of Bennett’s person, police found him possessing several controlled substances, including suspected ecstasy, methamphetamine and heroin, as well as a digital scale, according to court documents.

Other charges of receiving stolen property, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia are slated to be dismissed against Bennett at time of sentencing.

Assistant District Attorney Anne Caitlyn O’Connell is handling the case. Defense lawyer Benjamin Cooper represents Griffin.