Pleasantville, NJ, Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Possession of a Handgun
A 19-year-old man from Pleasantville has pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a handgun in connection to a traffic stop last June.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office says earlier this week, Jonathan Valentine pleaded guilty to second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun in exchange for a three-year term in state prison with a one-year period of parole ineligibility, following a plea agreement.
According to authorities, on June 17th last year, Pleasantville Police conducted a traffic stop at Doughty Road and West Bayview Avenue.
While interacting with the driver, Mr. Valentine, police observed the muzzle of a black handgun. The officer placed the defendant under arrest.
Police say a search revealed a 9mm Luger Polymer 80 semi-automatic handgun with no serial number (a "ghost gun"), cash, 2.25 ounces of marijuana, a digital scale, and empty Ziploc baggies commonly used to package drugs for distribution. The handgun was loaded with 16 rounds of ammunition inside a 17-round magazine.
As part of the plea agreement, Valentine must forfeit the gun, ammunition magazine, and cash that was seized.
Sentencing is scheduled for February 28th.
