NORRISTOWN — A Norristown man faces periods of time behind bars and probation for illegally possessing a gun, a crime discovered during a traffic stop in Lower Merion Township.
Tyrone Robert Griffin, 38, of the 700 block of Violet Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11½ to 23 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of person not to possess a firearm in connection with a Feb. 12, 2025, traffic stop along the Schuylkill Expressway in Lower Merion.
Judge Wendy G. Rothstein, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, also ordered Griffin to complete three years of probation consecutive to parole, meaning Griffin will be under court supervision for five years.
Griffin will receive credit for the 68 days he’s already spent in jail while awaiting court action on the charge, according to court records.
The investigation began when state police at Philadelphia conducted a traffic stop of Griffin’s gray Chrysler Pacifica at 11:37 a.m. Feb. 12, 2025, for alleged windshield obstructions, very dark aftermarket window tint, as Griffin traveled westbound on I-76 in the township, according to court documents.
During the stop, police observed a package of suspected marijuana in the center console and, “given the totality of the circumstances,” asked Griffin for consent to search the vehicle. Griffin declined, and the vehicle was towed to an impound lot pending police obtaining a warrant to search the vehicle, according to the criminal complaint filed by state police Trooper Maximilian Baptiste.
With the search warrant in hand, police searched the vehicle a day later and seized a Glock 19 handgun as well as suspected marijuana inside the vehicle.
A records check determined the gun was reported stolen in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, in January 2025, according to the arrest affidavit.
Police also alleged Griffin had a criminal history that prohibited him from possessing a handgun.
Other charges of carrying a firearm without a license, receiving stolen property and possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were dismissed against Griffin as part of the plea agreement.
Assistant District Attorney Robert Joseph Waeltz Jr. handled the prosecution.
It was the second time in recent months that Griffin appeared in court to address criminal charges lodged against him.
Last December, Griffin was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and conspiracy to engage in burglary in connection with a July 2021 break-in at a home along Cressman Road in Lower Salford Township.