Felony charge reduced against teen accused by Tarentum police of having gun; trial ordered

Tony LaRussa | Tuesday, August 15, 2023 2:38 p.m.

Tony LaRussa | Tribune-Review

Tarentum police say a 19-year-old passenger in a vehicle pulled over for a traffic violation at the boat launch under the Tarentum Bridge was arrested after a loaded gun was found in his backpack.

Frederick Xa Dorsey-Hua, 19, of the 7500 block of Ormond Street in Swissvale was charged with a felony count of illegal possession of a firearm.

People younger than 18 can own a rifle or shotgun in Pennsylvania, but residents must be 21 to have a pistol or apply for a concealed carry permit.

Dorsey-Hua was released from custody on his own recognizance, court records show.

During a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Aug. 16 before District Judge Carolyn Bengel, the felony gun charge was withdrawn and replaced by a misdemeanor count of carrying a firearm without a license.

Dorsey-Hua waived his right to a preliminary hearing on the charge before Bengel, who ordered him to stand trial in Allegheny County Court. Formal arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 3, court records show.

An officer wrote in a criminal complaint charging Dorsey-Hua that on July 27 he was patrolling the parking lot of the Tarentum boat launch at 9:15 p.m. when he pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation.

Police said there was a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, where Dorsey-Hua was a passenger in the back seat.

When questioned about the odor, the driver told police there was some marijuana in a dashboard pocket and that “the guy in the back has some also,” according to the criminal complaint.

The driver, a female passenger and Dorsey-Hua were ordered out of the vehicle so the officer could confiscate the marijuana from the dash.

Dorsey-Hua told the officer he had a small bag of marijuana inside his backpack on the back seat, the complaint said.

The officer said he found a pistol in the backpack when he looked for the bag of pot, the complaint said.

There was no registration record for the gun when its serial number was checked, according to authorities.

Dorsey-Hua told the officer the gun belonged to him and that he was carrying it for protection, the complaint said.