Norristown Shooting Investigation Leads to Arrests in Plymouth Gun Burglaries

Plymouth Township Police have arrested two 18-year-old Norristown men, and one juvenile, after they say the trio stole at least seven guns from a Plymouth Meeting home in two separate burglaries last month.

Police have charged Trevahn Stephens, of 37 East Jacoby Street, and Lavontae Stewart, address unknown, with multiple felony counts of burglary, criminal trespassing, theft, carrying a firearm without a license, and related charges after authorities say they twice burglarized the gunroom of a home on the 1400 block of Sandy Hill Road in August.

Police originally responded to the home on Aug. 6, after a resident reported that someone removed 12 boxes of 9mm ammunition from a safe in his garage sometime in the two weeks prior. In addition, the man reported that a game camera captured two black males entering his property through a rear wooded area.

Then on Aug. 8, Norristown Police in a wooded area of McCann Park, located at Sandy and Angelo Streets in that borough. Norristown police officers were able to trace some of the recovered weapons to the owner of the burglarized home, and alerted Plymouth PD, who revisited the Sandy Hill Road residence.

At that time, the owner told police he had never thought to inventory his gunroom, and then discovered that the following firearms were missing:

• A police revolver .38 caliber
• German 9mm Luger
• .30 caliber Luger
• Walther PPK
• Mambu Japanese revolver
• Ruger Mark 11 .22 caliber pistol
• 1911 colt .45 ACP

The guns that were stolen from the home and found in the duffel bag were returned to the owner. However, they would not remain for long. Police were again called to the home on Aug. 26, when the resident reportedly was burglarized for a second time. The resulting affidavit does not say how many guns were stolen in that burglary.

Later that week, Norristown detectives were reviewing text messages on the phone of Roderick Perry, a Norristown man who was both injured and charged in an on the 300 block of Moore Street in the borough. One text message indicated that there was likely a stash of guns at a home on the 600 block of Sandy Street, which was immediately adjacent to the wooded area of McCann park, where the duffel bag containing the weapons was found. In addition, a Plymouth Police investigation led them to believe the Plymouth Meeting burglary suspects were living in that home.

On Aug. 31, Plymouth and Norristown police executed a search warrant of the house, where they recovered nine handguns, cell phones, and ammunition. According to an affidavit of probable cause, at least three of the guns found were burglarized from the Plymouth Meeting home.

In addition, police say that the occupants of the house did not open the door, and attempted to escape through windows before retreating back inside after seeing officers had surrounded the property. Police then physically forced entry into the house and took four individuals into custody, eventually charging the three suspects based on witness statements, the physical locations of where the weapons were recovered, and other evidence.

Stephens and Stewart are currently confined to Montgomery County prison in lieu of $250,000 bail. A preliminary hearing originally scheduled for Monday morning has been postponed. Detectives of both departments continue to investigate.

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