Northern Regional Police accuse man of failing to reveal prior drug use when trying to buy gun

Tony LaRussa | Wednesday, December 21, 2022 11:11 a.m.

Tony LaRussa | Tribune-Review

Northern Regional Police charged a man with a felony after they say he failed to acknowledge his previous drug use when filling out the application to buy a gun at a sporting goods store in Richland.

James Sergei Betts, 28, of the 9800 block of Presidential Drive in McCandless, was charged with a felony count related to the sale or transfer of a firearm along with a count of sworn falsification to authorities.

Betts was released from custody on a non-monetary bond and faces a preliminary hearing on the charges before District Judge Tom Swan on Jan. 25, according to court records.

Police wrote in a criminal complaint charging Betts that they were notified by state police on Sept. 12 that Betts tried to buy a .9mm Sig Saur pistol at the Dunham’s sporting goods store in North Towne Square in March, but his application was denied because he is “considered a drug user.”

Betts was arrested by McCandless police in January 2021 on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance, the complaint said.

Investigators noted that those charges were withdrawn and Betts pleaded guilty to a count of disorderly conduct, the complaint said.

Northern Regional Police wrote in his arrest papers that “Betts is known to our department as a habitual drug user and has been found in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia on multiple occasions.”

Investigators said Betts answered “No” to the question on the gun purchase form asking if he is “an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance.”

Police said Betts was cited for disorderly conduct for having marijuana and drug paraphernalia in January 2015 and in June and July 2016, the complaint said.

Betts also was arrested in November 2017 on theft charges and pleaded guilty to a count of disorderly conduct. During that investigation, Betts told a police detective that he committed the theft to buy marijuana and cocaine, according to the complaint.