McDonald man faces gun and drug charges
A McDonald man was arrested Wednesday by McDonald police on weapons and gun charges after officers were called to Robinson Township for a report of a disturbance and a man with a gun fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
Matthew Thomas Gross, 26, of 17 Loeffert Road, was arrested on charges of person not to possess firearms, carrying an unlicensed firearm, possession of marijuana and Xanax and possession of paraphernalia.
Officer Bradley Resnik said police received information that a man involved in an altercation had a gun. Police from McDonald and Cecil Township located the vehicle on East Lincoln Street and stopped it, he said.
“As we approached, we could see the occupants trying to hide items under the front seats and in the area of the console,” Resnik said.
When Gross got out of the vehicle, Xanax pills fell onto the ground, police said. A .44-caliber Magnum handgun was found on the floor of the vehicle, Resnik said.
“We believe he was trying to hide the gun as we stopped him,” Resnik said. “He was wearing an empty holster when he got out of the vehicle.”
Marijuana was also found inside the vehicle.
Gross did not have a license to carry the gun and, as a convicted felon, he is not permitted to carry a gun. Resnik said he was convicted on felony burglary charges in 2012.
His passenger, Tomacina Walters, 32, of McDonald, will be charged with possession of marijuana.
Gross was arraigned before District Judge Traci McDonald and placed in Washington County jail on $25,000 bond. He is scheduled for a May 4 preliminary hearing before McDonald.