Arnold man faces firearms charge after police get tip about 2 wanted men

An Arnold man faces a felony firearms charge after a tip was received about two wanted men being at a house on Victoria Avenue, police said.

William Jermain Rodgers, 25, is being held in the Westmoreland County jail after being unable to post a $50,000 bond following his Sept. 14 arrest.

Rodgers is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on a charge of prohibited possession of a firearm Sept. 29 before New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr.

In a criminal complaint, police said a caller reported that two wanted men, Tywone McClain and another man known as “Tyrique,” were living at a house in the 1700 block of Victoria Avenue.

Police said the house is known to be used as a hideout and for gang activity based on prior and ongoing investigations. The caller warned them that McClain would try to fight or run from officers, the complaint said.

Arnold officers and agents from the state Attorney General’s Office went to the house, where McClain was taken into custody for active warrants. Police confirmed he was wanted for firearms and for cutting off his ankle monitor.

McClain said he was on probation in Allegheny County and “has been on the run,” according to the complaint.

Officers and agents asked to search the area McClain was in because he is known to carry guns and have “violent tendencies,” the complaint said. Officers said they saw small children running around the living room, dining room and stairway.

After a woman gave officers permission to search the area, police said, they found a long-barrel rifle under a jacket or sweater on a couch. It was loaded with seven rounds of 22-caliber ammunition, including one in the chamber, the complaint said.

Police said Rodgers, a felon, is not allowed to possess a gun. He was immediately taken into custody, the complaint said.

He did not have an attorney listed in court records.

Police said that McClain, while in custody, said multiple times that the firearm, which he called a “chopper,” was his. McClain also is not legally allowed to possess a firearm, according to the complaint.