NORRISTOWN — Two men, cousins who were discovered “passed out” in a vehicle at a gas pump at a Wawa in Lower Moreland Township, faced various charges after a large quantity of cocaine and a gun were found in the vehicle.
With guilty pleas in Montgomery County Court, Gavin Lewis Saxon, 28, of the 1400 block of St. Charles Place, Abington, took responsibility for cocaine that was found in the vehicle and his cousin, Joseph Edward Saxon, 24, of the unit block of Spindletree Road, Levittown, Bucks County, took responsibility for a 9mm handgun found in the vehicle.
Specifically, Gavin Saxon pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver cocaine in connection with the Jan. 23, 2025, incident that unfolded at the Wawa in the 2500 block of Philmont Avenue in the Huntingdon Valley section of Lower Moreland.
Judge Wendy G. Rothstein deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Gavin Saxon, who will undergo drug and alcohol evaluations.
Under state sentencing guidelines, Gavin Saxon potentially faces several years in prison on the drug trafficking-related charge. A “brick” of cocaine, specifically 234.5 grams, was found in the Audi vehicle in which Saxon was found in the driver’s seat.
“The way that cocaine was recovered, it was recovered in brick form. It was not possessed in a usable form. It was not cut up or otherwise broken down consistent with personal use,” alleged Assistant District Attorney Robert Joseph Waeltz Jr.
“So when you have such a large, uncut brick of cocaine like that, that is possessed with the intent to deliver, for further breakdown to provide to other individuals,” Waeltz alleged.
Joseph Saxon, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was sentenced to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of carrying a firearm without a license in connection with the incident.
Rothstein, who accepted a plea agreement in that case, said Joseph Saxon is eligible for the jail’s work release program while serving his sentence.
With a consecutive three-year period of probation, the sentence means Joseph Saxon will be under court supervision for about five years.
Assistant District Attorney William Harry Highland III said a jail term was important for Joseph Saxon, explaining that a gun found in the presence of a large amount of drugs represented a dangerous situation.
“There’s always a fear when there’s a mix of firearms and narcotics. There’s always the fear of what that gun could be used for once narcotics are introduced to the equation,” Highland said.
“When you have such a large quantity of cocaine, 234 grams of uncut cocaine, that naturally has an extreme street value and we know that when individuals are in possession of a product that valuable, they will oftentimes not hesitate to resort to gun violence to protect their product,” Waeltz added.
Drug-related charges were dismissed against Joseph Saxon as part of his plea agreement.
The investigation began about 11:20 p.m. Jan. 23, 2025, when Lower Moreland police observed two males “passed out” in an Audi vehicle at a gas pump at the Wawa on Philmont Avenue, according to a criminal complaint filed by Lower Moreland police officers Michael Longo and Sean McCoy.
“At the time, the temperature outside was approximately 18 degrees,” Longo and McCoy wrote in court papers.
Police approached the vehicle to check on the well-being of the occupants, and Gavin Saxon was identified as the driver, and the passenger was identified as Joseph Saxon.
“In looking out to ensure the safety of the community, police saw two individuals who appeared to be out of it, asleep, at a gas pump in the late evening hours. They wanted to check to see what was going on with that vehicle. It was good police work,” Highland said.
After waking the two men, police observed Gavin’s speech was slurred, and his movements were lethargic, and that both men exhibited red, bloodshot eyes and “droopy” eyelids, “like they were struggling to keep them open,” police said.
At the same time, police noticed the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and observed two “smoked marijuana roaches” in the center console, according to the criminal complaint.
During the encounter, police also noticed a Smith & Wesson 9mm firearm on the floor of the vehicle at Joseph Saxon’s feet. Police discovered the firearm had a magazine loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition, and the investigation determined Joseph did not have a permit to carry a firearm, according to the arrest affidavit.
The vehicle was impounded pending the investigators’ obtaining a warrant to search the vehicle.
During the eventual search, police recovered a “brick” of cocaine on the floor of the vehicle. Tests determined the total weight of the cocaine was about 234.5 grams, according to court documents.
Based on the circumstances, with the charges, police alleged Gavin Saxon was involved in the possession and sale of controlled substances.