A Schuylkill County man is facing gun charges following an investigation into his potential theft of copper wire.
State Police-Stonington say they were dispatched to a location in Upper Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, at about 9 a.m. on Nov. 24. A Verizon employee had reported to State Police that he suspected copper wire the company owned had been stolen.
The employee reportedly told police that he saw Jeremy Strohecker, 44, of Pitman, riding a black ATV through the area where the copper wire was stolen. This location is about one-quarter mile from Strohecker’s home in Pitman, police say.
When police went to Strohecker’s home to question him about the reported theft, he allegedly told police that he’s a felon and not permitted to possess a gun and that there was a rifle laying on a table inside his home.
Strohecker, police say, was convicted of a felony drug crime in 2022, which prohibits him from possessing firearms.
A search warrant was requested and granted to look further into Strohecker’s home. Police say that during the search, two long rifles were located. They also reportedly found two glass smoking devices and a silver-colored metal container that contained suspected methamphetamine.
Police have filed two felony gun possession charges against Strohecker as well as two misdemeanor counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and a single count of possessing a controlled substance.
A preliminary arraignment on those charges is scheduled for Friday at District Court in Tremont.
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