Police: Fawn man who called officers about suspicious noise faces felony gun charge, DUI

A Fawn Township man who called police because he heard a suspicious noise outside his house was accused of drunken driving and illegally carrying a gun after state troopers responded to the scene, according to investigators.

Jeremiah David Heller II, 32, of the 200 block of Haas Lane was charged with a felony count of carrying a firearm without a licence and two counts of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Heller was charged by summons and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Jan. 21 before District Judge Carolyn Bengel, according to court records.

Police wrote in a criminal complaint that, shortly after 8:30 p.m. Nov. 9, Heller called police and said there was a suspicious man and woman near his home.

During the recorded conversation, Heller said he drove his truck to the auto body shop across the street where a woman was seated in a vehicle.

He told police he had his brother’s loaded handgun with him and the woman drove off after he made contact with her, according to the complaint.

When troopers arrived, they found Heller sitting in a pickup parked in the body shop lot with the engine running. Police said they asked Heller to perform a series of field sobriety tests because his eyes were bloodshot and they smelled alcohol, the complaint said.

He failed the tests and a field breath analysis tested positive for the presence of alcohol, police said.

Heller had a 9mm Smith & Wesson along with the magazine and 14 rounds of ammunition in the truck, according to troopers.

Investigators said a formal breathalyzer test performed at the state police barracks showed his blood alcohol level was 0.177%.

A person is considered too drunk to drive in Pennsylvania if their blood alcohol level is higher than 0.08%.

Court records show Heller is awaiting trial in Butler County on a felony charge of providing false information when trying to buy or sell a firearm along with a count of unsworn falsification to authorities.

The charges were filed in March 2020 by state police in Butler County, according to the court docket.