Harrison man arrested for burglary in 2013 charged with attempted gun purchase
A Harrison man faces a felony count of illegal transfer of a firearm after, police say, he didn’t tell authorities about his criminal record when he tried to buy a gun at a sporting goods store.
In addition to the felony charge, Zakery Boreland, 24, of the 400 block of Village Green Drive also faces a count of making false statements to authorities.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Carolyn S. Bengel on Oct. 12.
Harrison police received a notification about Boreland’s attempt to buy a gun at the Dunham’s Sports store in the Highlands Mall from the state police, which conducts the criminal background checks for firearm purchases, according to the criminal complaint.
People who want to buy a gun in Pennsylvania must provide authorities with a copy of their driver’s license along with their Social Security number and identifying information such as height, hair color, eye color and race, according to the complaint.
Applicants also must fill out a form on which they are asked about their criminal history, citizenship, mental state and drug use.
If state police believe that information a buyer provides on the form is false, an investigation is done by the law enforcement agency where the gun shop is located.
State police said Boreland checked “no” to the question on the form asking whether he previously had been convicted of a crime that prohibits him from possessing a firearm, the complaint said.
When Harrison police checked state court records, they learned Boreland cannot legally possess a firearm because he was convicted in 2013 of a felony count of burglary, according to his arrest papers.
Boreland was also arrested in 2017 by Springdale police after they used a Snapchat message to find him and two other teenagers accused of taking two handguns from a home.
Court records show that he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft charges and was sentenced to 18 months of probation in October 2018.
Boreland did not have a lawyer listed in court records.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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