Allentown man charged with having stolen gun after neighbor finds bullet hole in ceiling

An Allentown man was found with a stolen gun in his apartment Friday after his downstairs neighbor reported a bullet hole in her ceiling, police said.Abel Blanco, 33, of the 300 block of South 15th Street, was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of receiving stolen property, placed in county jail, with bail set at $75,000, and is awaiting a district court hearing.An affidavit states the following:At 7:17 a.m. Friday, police responded to that address after Blanco’s downstairs neighbor reported a bullet hole in her ceiling.The bullet appeared to have traveled from upstairs, coming through the ceiling, then through a closet door and into a child’s jacket in the closet. There’s no mention of any injuries or whether a gunshot had been heard.The landlord unlocked Blanco’s apartment door for police.A strong odor of fresh marijuana filled the apartment. In plain view were digital scales, a semi-automatic handgun, handgun magazines, a stack of U.S. currency and multiple sandwich-size bags containing suspected marijuana.Executing a search warrant, police found a small safe in the front room. In the safe were two more handguns, one of which had been reported stolen during a strong-arm robbery two days prior.Blanco, who was not home, went to the police station Tuesday, telling police during an interview that a friend had given him the gun for safekeeping. He was arrested after the interview and charged.Morning Call reporter Andrew Scott can be reached at 610-820-6508 or ascott@mcall.com.
Source: Morningcall