Police seize guns near Lansford bus stop
Three men face multiple charges after Lansford police found them smoking marijuana in a vehicle with multiple guns near a bus stop Tuesday morning.
Police charged Isaiah Frazier, 20, of Allentown; and Tahj Frazier, 20, and Issac Cook, 19, both of Charlotte, North Carolina, with two counts of possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm with manufacturer number altered, all felonies.
The trio was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana.
District Judge Beth Dodson arraigned all three on the charges Tuesday evening and set bail at $100,000 each.
They were lodged in the Carbon County Correctional Facility in Nesquehoning in lieu of bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 18.
According to court papers, police were dispatched at 8:24 a.m. to the area of the Panther Valley Stadium for a young man wearing a black hoodie walking on Patterson Street carrying a package and a rifle.
Both Police Chief Kyle Woodward and Detective Josh Tom responded, as the location is near a school bus stop and due to the number of recent school shootings, court papers said.
They observed a dark gray Lexus with a North Carolina license plate parked on Cortright Street with a young man matching the description of the man seen walking with the gun inside, court papers said.
Officers smelled marijuana as they approached the vehicle and observed three men smoking marijuana with clouds of white smoke coming from inside, court papers said.
Woodward also observed the barrel of a long black gun sticking out from underneath a box, partially underneath the rear seat, court papers said.
The chief called for additional units to respond due to elementary school children waiting for the bus nearby.
Police said all three men were under the influence of marijuana, with glossy eyes, slow reflexes and having difficulty understanding directions.
Tahj Frazier was identified as the driver with Isaiah Frazier as the front seat passenger, and Cook as the rear seat passenger. All three were taken into custody for drug possession and the vehicle towed to a secure location.
Visible inside the vehicle were the barrel of a rifle, a burned marijuana blunt, several duffel bags and boxes, and Cook had thin mints marijuana in a sweatshirt pocket, court papers said. Thin mint marijuana is a potent strain of the drug.
All three were taken to the Lansford police station, where interviews were conducted. A records check showed that there was an active warrant for Cook from the Allentown police department for drug charges.
Police executed a search warrant for the vehicle and seized an American tactical .223 rifle MSA 138142 with a fully loaded magazine in the back seat; a black mask and a marijuana blunt on the floor and a CD Defense AR 12S shotgun with one shell in the chamber with a loaded magazine in the trunk, court papers said.
Also seized was a green ammunition box with hundreds of various pistol/handgun rounds in the trunk, a silver Smith and Wesson .38 Special revolver, a shotgun magazine fully loaded under the driver’s seat; a mounted gun light in the driver’s side door, a Louis Vuitton bag with a black Ruger 9 mm SR9 with obliterated serial number, court papers said.
Police also seized another marijuana blunt in the front passenger seat, various drug paraphernalia and multiple small bags of thin mints marijuana in the center console and beside the front seats as well as in the glove box, court papers said.