An Allentown man has been sentenced to jail time and probation in connection with an April 2022 road rage incident on Bethlehem Pike in Hatfield Township.
Derek Dixon, 35, was sentenced last week to 11½ to 23 months in county jail followed by five years’ probation after pleading guilty to one felony count of prohibited possession of a firearm and misdemeanor counts of simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child, court records show. Additional charges of firearms not to be carried without a license, possessing an instrument of crime, terroristic threats and harassment were dropped in exchange for Dixon’s plea.
Sentencing notes indicate Dixon will undergo an evaluation for anger management and parenting classes, and he was also ordered to surrender all firearms and avoid any further contact with the victim.
Dixon is scheduled to report to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility on Aug. 14 to begin serving his sentence, according to court records.
Police were dispatched to the 2400 block of Bethlehem Pike on April 20, 2022, at 4:24 p.m. for a report of a subject armed with a gun. Arriving police spoke with the female motorist, who said a man had pointed a gun at her during a road rage incident on Bethlehem Pike.
The woman told police she was driving southbound when she observed a burgundy Dodge Durango driving erratically behind her. The vehicle allegedly continued to weave in and out of traffic and eventually cut her off, police said.
Eventually, she was able to pull up next to the vehicle on the right side, at which point the woman said she pointed her middle finger at the other driver. The driver of the other vehicle then rolled down his front passenger window and pointed a black handgun at the woman, according to charging documents.
The incident ended at that point and the Dodge drove away, the report states. The woman noted that as the vehicle continued down Bethlehem Pike, she saw a baby in a car seat in the rear passenger side of the vehicle, according to the complaint.
The vehicle information was sent out over police radio, and a traffic stop of the vehicle was subsequently initiated in Montgomery Township. The driver was identified as Dixon and police confirmed he had his 1½ year old son in a rear child seat, the report states.
A search of the vehicle revealed an unbranded 9mm handgun in the glovebox, and the woman positively identified the Dixon as the suspect involved in the incident, police said.
Investigators said Dixon became an adjudicated delinquent on April 28, 2003, on a juvenile aggravated assault charge, meaning he is prohibited from owning, possessing or carrying a firearm.
See also:
Man Sentenced to Probation for Promoting Prostitution in Montgomery Township
Montco Man Sentenced to 2-6 Years In Whitpain Cat Killing Case
