NORRISTOWN — A Philadelphia man was convicted of gun and DUI-related charges after his vehicle left the roadway and landed in a ditch during a crash in Whitemarsh Township.
William G. Powell, 54, of the 2300 block of West Clearfield Street, was convicted in Montgomery County Court on Thursday of charges of person not to possess a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, driving under the influence of alcohol general impairment and careless driving in connection with a June 2023 traffic incident along Ridge Pike in Whitemarsh.
Judge Thomas C. Branca convicted Powell of the charges after hearing testimony at a nonjury trial.
Branca deferred sentencing so that court officials could complete a background investigation report about Powell, who will undergo drug and alcohol evaluations.
Powell was permitted to remain free on bail pending his sentencing hearing in December.
The investigation began about 5:52 a.m. June 10, 2023, when Whitemarsh police were dispatched to the area of Ridge Pike and Manor Road for a report of a vehicle crash involving a blue Kia sedan. Arriving officers located the vehicle, still in gear, on a property in the 800 block of Ridge Pike.
“The vehicle was approximately 30 yards off the road and was stuck in the ditch,” Whitemarsh Township Police Officer Christopher Hunsberger wrote in the criminal complaint, adding he observed a male, later identified as Powell, climbing out of the front passenger window. “The male refused to answer most of our questions and was passively resisting our commands.”
Police said Powell had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech patterns and he was taken into custody on the suspicion of driving under the influence.
During questioning, police observed Powell to be in possession of a Nintendo Switch in a case in which police also found a silver handgun, according to court documents. The Jimenez 9mm fully loaded firearm had one round in the chamber, police alleged.
“The handgun that was in Powell’s possession was an unregistered gun,” Hunsberger alleged, adding Powell did not have a valid permit to carry a firearm.
Police said a subsequent background check also revealed that Powell had a prior felony conviction that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.
The investigation revealed Powell had been traveling westbound on Ridge Pike through the intersection of Manor Road when he lost control and veered off the roadway. Powell’s vehicle traveled down an embankment and got stuck in a ditch in the 800 block of Ridge Pike, police said.
