Abington Township Police Department Photo by James Short.
A Philadelphia woman arrested in Abington Township for illegally possessing a handgun during a traffic stop will serve time in county jail followed by several years of court supervision, according to a report.
Jasmine E. Hernandez, 40, of the 2300 block of North 4th Street, was sentenced to 9 to 18 months in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after pleading guilty to carrying a firearm without a license and persons not to possess firearms stemming from a December 2024 incident. Following her release, she will serve four years of probation, Judge Thomas M. DelRicci ruled.
The case began around 1:21 p.m. on Dec. 27, 2024, when Abington Township police conducted a traffic stop of a Land Rover due to excessive window tint, a broken driver’s side mirror, and a questionable registration tag. Hernandez was a passenger in the vehicle, which police later determined was registered to her and had expired registration dating back to 2023.
During the stop, officers detected the odor of marijuana and observed marijuana remnants inside the vehicle. The vehicle was subsequently impounded. The following day, police executed a search warrant and discovered a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun inside Hernandez’s purse. The firearm contained five rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber, according to court documents.
Police alleged Hernandez did not possess a valid license to carry a firearm and was legally prohibited from possessing one under provisions of Pennsylvania’s Mental Health Procedures Act. Authorities said Hernandez admitted to possessing the weapon and acknowledged she was prohibited from doing so.
The judge ordered the seized firearm forfeited and destroyed. Additional charges, including possession of controlled substances and prohibited offensive weapons, were dismissed.
