Ryan Hemighaus admitted possessing an unlicensed firearm, methamphetamine and motorcycle reported stolen from Lower Merion

A Philadelphia registered Tier 2 sex offender has pleaded guilty to four charges stemming from his arrest inside a vacant Lower Providence Township warehouse, where police said they found a stolen motorcycle, loaded handgun and methamphetamine.

Ryan Joseph Hemighaus, 35, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to felony counts of carrying a firearm without a license and receiving stolen property, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and a summary count of defiant trespassing.

Judge Todd D. Eisenberg deferred sentencing while court officials prepare a presentence investigation report. Hemighaus was also ordered to undergo drug, alcohol and mental-health evaluations.

Prosecutors intend to seek an aggregate sentence of two to four years in prison, according to The Mercury. Hemighaus will remain incarcerated while awaiting sentencing, which has yet to be scheduled, as of Thursday.

Assistant District Attorney Courtney McMonagle is prosecuting the case. Philadelphia attorney Jason C. Kadish represents Hemighaus.

As part of the case’s disposition, prosecutors withdrew charges of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possessing an instrument of crime, a second count of controlled-substance possession and two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, per reports.

Lower Providence Township Police arrested Hemighaus on Nov. 4, 2025, after officers were called to investigate suspicious activity at a vacant warehouse in the 900 block of Rittenhouse Road in Audubon.

Police found a motorcycle parked in a far corner of the property with its license plate bent upward and its ignition punched, allowing it to be started without a key. A check of its vehicle identification number showed it had been reported stolen in Lower Merion Township on Oct. 27, 2025.

A blue backpack leaning against the motorcycle contained a loaded Glock 19 9mm pistol and a magazine holding 18 rounds, including three hollow-point bullets, according to the criminal complaint. Police also found a debit card bearing Hemighaus’ name and correspondence written on his behalf.

Hemighaus was located inside the warehouse and taken into custody. Police said a search uncovered a screwdriver in his sweatshirt pocket that had been notched and altered in a manner that could be used to start a vehicle with a punched ignition.

Investigators later found suspected methamphetamine, suspected LSD, an unidentified white powder and a gummy inside the backpack, according to the complaint.

Hemighaus, who has listed addresses on Green Lane and North Cleveland Street in Philadelphia, was convicted of felony unlawful contact with a minor in Philadelphia in May 2024. He is currently non-compliant.

All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records and information provided by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office