Montco Teen, Gun Trafficking Leader, To Be Tried As Adult: DA

NORRISTOWN, PA — A 17-year-old Norristown resident who police said was among the leaders of a major gun trafficking organization will be tried as an adult, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office announced Monday.

Rahajahi Taylor Batchelor is among nine other members of the organization arrested in September. The group, which also included four other teenagers as young as 14, illegally purchased dozens of firearms before reselling them on the streets, according to authorities.

The other teens were less involved in the organization than Batchelor, authorities said, and will not be charged.

>>2 Norristown Men Among 14 Charged In Major Gun Trafficking Bust

Batchelor faces 166 felony charges, including corrupt organization, conspiracy, dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activities, illegal sale or transfer of firearms, and possession of a firearm by a minor.

"This 17-year-old was one of the ringleaders that orchestrated the straw purchases," District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement. "This defendant, along with his co-conspirators, has done a tremendous amount of damage to the safety of our community here in Montgomery County and in the greater southeastern Pennsylvania region."

The investigation into the group began in early August due to a suspiciously high number of guns bought by a member of the group. A day later, Batchelor was taken to Suburban Community Hospital after accidentally shooting himself inside his family's home on Green Street in Norristown, police said.

While investigating that incident, police found multiple weapons that were part of the suspicious purchases they'd noted the day before, the DA's Office said.

All told, the group sold 44 firearms around Bucks, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, officials said. The sales mainly took place over the summer, from July 3 to Aug. 27, investigators allege. Such "straw purchases" are often made by individuals unable to legally purchase firearms, including convicted felons, domestic violence abusers, juveniles, and the mentally ill, officials said.

Batchelor was booked at Lehigh County Prison, which can keep younger inmates housed in a separate place from older prisoners, according to police. Bail was set at $250,000. The case is awaiting hearing in the Court of Common Pleas.

Thus far, nine of the 44 firearms in question have been recovered, officials said, and they're still searching for the other 35.

For further details on the case and charges against the other inmates, see here.

An investigation remains underway. If you have any information, call Norristown Police at 610-270-0977.