2 Mount Joy Township men charged after police find sawed-off shotgun

Northwest Regional police charged two Mount Joy Township men last week after police found a sawed-off shotgun.

Justin Waltermeyer, 30, and Shawn Welsh, 22, were both charged April 8 with persons not to possess firearms and prohibited offensive weapons. Police said Waltermeyer and Welsh are prohibited from possessing a firearm.

On April 7 just after 9:30 p.m., police responded to a residence on the 2300 block of Ridge Road in Mount Joy Township for a report of shots fired, according to charging documents. The caller reported hearing two shots and could see a gun sticking out of a window, which was still visible when officers arrived, according to charging documents.

Waltermeyer, who identified himself as the homeowner, gave officers permission to search the residence, charging documents said. Officers found an 8.75 inch 20-gauge broken-off buttstock of a firearm with a shotgun barrel.

A witness reported seeing both Waltermeyer and Welsh with the gun, charging documents said. Police said Waltermeyer admitted he knew it was a functioning gun and that Welsh had shot it earlier that night.

Waltermeyer was released on $95,000 bail, and Welsh is being held in Lancaster County Prison on a firearms warrant, police said.

Waltermeyer couldn’t be reached Monday afternoon with the two phone numbers found for him. Neither had an attorney listed in court documents. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 16.

Waltermeyer pleaded guilty to burglary in 2012 in Lebanon County and 2015 in Lancaster County, serving up to 23 months in prison for each. Also in 2015, he pleaded guilty to statutory sexual assault and related charges in Dauphin County, serving up to 36 months in prison.

Welsh pleaded guilty to firearms not to be carried without a license in 2020 when he served up to 23 months in prison. In 2021, he pleaded guilty to theft of a motor vehicle, serving up to 12 months in prison. Both were in Lancaster County.