Army veteran from Bellwood arrested on federal charges
Former B-A school board member taken into custody for gun, drug possession
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From Mirror staff reports
A former member of the Bellwood-Antis School Board, who pled guilty to drug and gun charges in 2020, was arrested Wednesday on federal charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Jason Lynn, 37, was taken into custody after a Drug Enforcement Administration raid on his home and storage units turned up multiple drugs, including 4 pounds of methamphetamine, and guns.
A criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania lays out the charges against Lynn, who the complaint alleges, had drugs packaged for distribution.
Pennsylvania State Police took to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday to warn the public about a federal and local law enforcement operation in Antis Township, noting there was no threat to the public.
During the operation, investigators executed a search warrant on Lynn's home at 1200 E. Fifth St., Bellwood, and on two storage lockers, Bob's Storage Units and Sugar Run Self Storage.
The search warrants were issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith A. Pesto on Sept. 15, court documents state.
During the search of Lynn's home, officers seized narcotics, including suspected methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, ecstasy, marijuana and mushrooms. A firearm magazine containing eight rounds of ammunition was also seized.
More than 4 pounds of methamphetamine and seven firearms were seized from Lynn's storage locker at Bob's Storage Units, court documents state. The firearms included two semi-automatic handguns, two revolvers and three rifles -- with one rifle and two handguns loaded and labeled by police as "ghost guns" because they didn't have serial numbers, the report states. Suspected fentanyl and heroin were also seized from that storage unit.
A large amount of firearm ammunition, suspected methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin were seized from the Sugar Run Self Storage unit, court documents state.
After Lynn was read his Miranda rights, he admitted that he had just obtained the 4 pounds of methamphetamine from a supplier on Friday, the report states. He also admitted to the firearms in a locker at Bob's Storage Units.
Law enforcement officers said the amount of drug evidence and the manner in which it was packaged is consistent with possession with intent to distribute.
The report also states that a Browning 9 mm handgun Lynn allegedly possessed is not manufactured in Pennsylvania, affecting interstate and/or foreign commerce.
Lynn, taken before Pesto on Wednesday afternoon, was detained and denied bond because he is deemed a flight risk, a danger to society, charged with an offense for which the maximum sentence is life imprisonment, charged with an offense for which a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years or more is prescribed in the Controlled Substances Act and there is no condition or combination of conditions that will reasonably assure his appearance as required.
Lynn is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals and is scheduled for a detention hearing at 10 a.m. Friday before Pesto.
Prior criminal history
In May 2020, Lynn pleaded guilty to possession of illegal drugs, an offensive weapon and related criminal charges resulting from his arrest in January 2020. The pleas were submitted in exchange for a two- to five-year sentence with the chance for drug treatment, according to previous Mirror articles.
In that case, Lynn's defense attorney Dan Kiss said Lynn is "a good man" whose criminal charges developed from drug use.
"He got hooked and it was a very fast downward spiral," Kiss said. "Drugs took over and destroyed his life."
Lynn, an Army veteran who served three tours in Iraq, used to be a Norfolk Southern electrician.
In 2014, he made an unsuccessful bid in the 80th District for a seat in the state House of Representatives, then in 2017, he secured a seat on the Bellwood-Antis School Board. He remained in that post until January 2020. That's when police found a stolen shotgun in his vehicle trunk. When arrested, police found cocaine and methamphetamine in Lynn's backpack. A search of his residence turned up small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and another stolen gun.
Lynn was arrested again in February 2020, on strangulation, robbery, terroristic threats, false imprisonment and related charges. A woman he knew accused him of using plastic cables to tie her hands behind her back and choking her until she couldn't breathe.
"He's a poster child for what can happen if you get hooked on drugs," Kiss said at the time. "But hopefully, he'll be able to make a comeback through treatment."