A man from Philadelphia is going to state prison after being caught with an illegal handgun during a sobriety checkpoint in Springfield Township.
Rashaun Irvin, 40, of the 5200 block of Delancey Street, was given a 3 to 6 year sentence in a state correctional facility after admitting to a felony charge of being in possession of a firearm on June 3, 2023.
Judge Wendy G. Rothstein imposed the sentence as part of a plea agreement.
As part of the sentence, Irvin has to give up his firearms to county detectives.
Irvin will get credit for the time he spent in jail since his arrest on June 3.
An investigation started at about 12:32 a.m. on June 3 when police at a sobriety checkpoint near Bethlehem Pike and Montgomery Avenue in Springfield Township approached Irvin, who was driving a silver Ford Escape. The police smelled burnt marijuana coming from the car, according to the arrest affidavit filed by Springfield Police Corporal Robert Chiarlanza.
Upon inspecting the vehicle, the police saw a black and gray handgun in plain sight.
“This firearm was seen between the driver’s seat and the center console close to where the seatbelt would be buckled,” Chiarlanza claimed. “The magazine was loaded and there was a bullet in the chamber as well.”
The police claimed that Irvin, with this charge, was previously convicted and not allowed to have a firearm.
A DUI charge against Irvin was dropped as part of the plea agreement, according to court records.
