2 arrested in Jeannette pistol exchange
Two men were arrested last week in Jeannette after police said they exchanged a pistol that had the serial number obliterated.
Timothy Joshua Bertrand, 28, of Jeannette, and Joseph Raymond Thornton, 52, of Manor, are both being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail.
City police and agents from the state attorney general’s office were patrolling the city Friday at 4 p.m. and started following a BMW that turned onto Scott Avenue, according to court papers. Officers watched Thornton get out of the car, walk up to a home and exchange something with Bertrand.
Officers caught up with Thornton elsewhere in the city and found inside the car a 9mm pistol that had the serial number obliterated. Thornton told investigators he had just purchased it “up the street,” according to court papers.
Police said they confiscated marijuana pipes from Thornton and Bertrand.
Both suspects are charged with conspiracy, possessing a firearm with the manufacturer’s number altered and possession of drug paraphernalia. Thornton is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm because police said he has previous felony convictions which prohibit him from having a firearm. Bertrand faces additional weapons violations.
Neither had an attorney listed in online court records. Preliminary hearings are set for Thursday.
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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