The owner of an auto repair shop in Abington Township has been convicted of illegally possessing a cache of firearms, despite being legally prohibited from having them due to prior convictions, according to a report.
Donte Vaughn, 42, of Philadelphia, was found guilty in Montgomery County Court on eight felony counts of unlawful firearm possession following a two-day trial. The charges stem from a July 26, 2024, incident connected to his business, High Road Automotive, located at 3021 Mt Carmel Ave in the Glenside section of Abington.
A jury reached its decision in less than an hour and also determined that the weapons were loaded or that ammunition was readily accessible at the shop.
Vaughn, who represented himself during the trial, did not deliver opening or closing arguments. After the verdict was announced, the judge revoked his bail, and he was taken into custody. He now awaits sentencing later this year, with a background investigation ordered ahead of that hearing.
Authorities said Vaughn was barred from possessing firearms due to a criminal record that includes prior convictions such as aggravated assault. Despite that restriction, investigators recovered eight guns from his business, including handguns, shotguns, an AR-style pistol, and two ghost guns, privately made firearms that are difficult to trace. One of the recovered weapons had been modified with a device that allows it to fire continuously with a single trigger pull, dramatically increasing its rate of fire.
The investigation began when Abington police received a report that Vaughn had threatened another individual while armed earlier that evening in the North Hills section of the township. Although a related charge tied to that incident was later dismissed, it prompted officers to respond to Vaughn’s auto shop. There, police confirmed his connection to the business and discovered ammunition on his person.
A subsequent search warrant led to the recovery of the firearms inside the shop. Investigators also seized video equipment that contained footage showing Vaughn handling several of the weapons. Prosecutors used both body camera footage and the recovered video recordings as key evidence during the trial.
In addition to the Montgomery County case, Vaughn is also facing separate charges in Chester County related to an alleged DUI and firearm offense stemming from a 2025 traffic stop.
