Trooper says handgun seized from 20-year-old during checkpoint stop in East Deer

State police arrested a Verona man at a traffic safety checkpoint set up on Route 28 in East Deer after he admitted to having a gun and marijuana inside the car in which he was a passenger.

Matthew Howard Yots, 20, of the 400 block of Center Avenue was charged July 3 with a felony count of carrying a firearm without a license along with a count of prohibited acts.

Yots was released on a nonmonetary bond and ordered to appear before District Judge Carolyn Bengel on July 26 for a preliminary hearing on the charges.

A trooper wrote in a criminal complaint that he was working a traffic safety checkpoint about 11:30 a.m. along northbound Route 28 near Exit 13 when he smelled marijuana coming from a vehicle that was pulled over.

State police regularly conduct traffic safety checkpoints along roadways to check that motorists have a valid license, registration, insurance and an inspection sticker, according to Myles Snyder, a spokesman for the state police.

At a safety checkpoint, drivers are required to identify themselves to police, but a passenger does not have to unless they are suspected of engaging in criminal activity, Snyder said.

Yots, who was riding in the passenger seat, told the trooper there was marijuana in the vehicle that belonged to him and handed over a baggie of marijuana from the center console, according to the complaint.

Police said Yots has a valid state medical marijuana card, the complaint said.

The owner of the vehicle gave the trooper consent for it to be searched, police said. During the search, police said, Yots told them there was a pistol in the vehicle.

A Glock 43 was found between the front passenger seat and the door, police said.

The pistol’s magazine was loaded with six 9 mm rounds, the complaint said.

Police said Yots was charged with a felony because he is not old enough to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

People must be at least 21 in Pennsylvania to get a concealed carry permit.