Two Faces Charges After Buying Gun For Juvenile

Louisville Metro Police arrested two men during a traffic stop after being accused of purchasing a gun for a juvenile at a gun show.

Jayden Rivera, 18, and Joel Sheldon Thomas, 21, were charged with unlawful transaction with a minor for the incident that occurred on Sunday morning.

According to arrest reports, the two men were seen coming from the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center’s gun show with three other juveniles.

Police said one of the juveniles could be seen in possession of a gun.

Later, around 11 a.m., one of the officers was standing at a dealer’s booth when Thomas approached and stood next to the officer.

Thomas was with a group that included a juvenile. An officer said Thomas attempted to purchase a 10mm Glock 20 with cash without having to fill out paperwork.

Police said Thomas gave the dealer his ID, placed a large amount of money on the table, then put his money away and walked away with the group, telling the dealer he would return.

The dealer told the officer the group needed more money to purchase the gun, so Thomas said he was headed to an ATM to get the cash to purchase the gun.

The officer later noticed Thomas return to the booth with a portion of the original group, then later noticed him walk away with a gun box.

The group of five individuals then left the Expo Center. Police followed the vehicle and noticed two people not wearing seatbelts and one of the individuals smoking what appeared to be marijuana.

A traffic stop was initiated by the officer, who smelled the marijuana and noticed it in plain sight. When asked about a firearm inside the vehicle, the occupants said there were no weapons in the vehicle.

A search of the vehicle revealed the 10mm Glock under the juvenile driver’s seat.

Thomas told police the marijuana belonged to him, but stated he was “just letting the juvenile driver ‘see’ the pistol.”

The driver told police that Thomas purchased the gun on his behalf.

Police said a total of six pistols and several bags of marijuana were obtained from the vehicle.

Rivera was additionally charged with trafficking in marijuana, having restricted ammo during a felony and carrying a concealed weapon.

Additional charges for Thomas include unlawfully permitting a minor to possess a handgun, fraudulent firearm transaction and possession of marijuana.

In court on Monday, a judge placed both men under a $10,000 bond. They entered a not guilty plea and are due back in court on March 7.
Source: WAVE