Man faces jail for W. Pottsgrove shotgun incident
NORRISTOWN >> A Phoenixville man is headed to jail on charges he discharged a shotgun in a reckless manner and placed others in danger during an incident in West Pottsgrove.
William Francis McCarron, 28, of the 1100 block of Township Line Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11½-to-23months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of discharging firearm into an occupied structure and recklessly endangering other persons in connection with a Feb. 14, 2019, shooting incident in the 100 block of Lemon Street in West Pottsgrove.
McCarron also pleaded guilty to a charge of arson endangering property in connection with a fire that was set at the Lemon Street residence, during the shooting incident, where he was temporarily staying.
Judge Risa Vetri Ferman, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, said McCarron is eligible for the jail’s work release program but only after serving three months of total confinement. McCarron also must complete seven years’ probation following parole, meaning McCarron will be under court supervision for about nine years.
The judge said McCarron is prohibited from possessing firearms during his court supervision. McCarron also must undergo drug, alcohol and mental health evaluations and comply with all recommendations for treatment, the judge said.
An investigation began about 5 a.m. Feb. 14, when West Pottsgrove police responded to the 100 block of Lemon Street after a homeowner reported that a window at her residence was shot out and that other shots were heard being fired in the neighborhood.
West Pottsgrove officers, who were assisted by police from North Coventry and Upper Pottsgrove, determined the shots came from the attic area of a neighboring residence.
Shortly after police arrived, three males, including McCarron, were observed running from the residence from which the shots were fired, according to the criminal complaint.
“One of the males, later identified as William McCarron, was holding what appeared to be a shotgun,” West Pottstrove Police Sgt. Steven Ziegler alleged in the arrest affidavit, adding McCarron yelled, “someone is trying to kill me” as he was being handcuffed.
The two other males in the residence told police they were awakened by the sounds of gunfire from inside the attic area where McCarron had been temporarily staying. Both men said they feared for their lives as they heard the gunshots.
“They both said they heard what appeared to be gunshots coming from the attic area of the house and knew McCarron was sleeping there and the only one in the attic,” Ziegler alleged.
During the investigation, police also observed smoke coming from the attic area of the home and the West End Fire Company responded to extinguish the small fire.
“It appeared as the fire was not started by any external electrical appliances,” police alleged, adding the walls, floor and ceiling in the attic sustained fire damage.
Court documents do not indicate how the fire was set.
Residents of the neighboring home told police they were awakened to the sound of breaking glass and determined a hallway window of their home was shot out, just feet from where a child was sleeping, according to the criminal complaint.
Other charges of possessing an instrument of crime, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct were dismissed against McCarron as part of the plea agreement.