A Weissport man has been charged with assisting a felon by buying guns that would be illegally sold.

Jerome Burns, 24, faces charges on eight counts each of selling or transferring of firearms, statement under penalty, and criminal use of communication facility.

He is incarcerated in the Monroe County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail, and scheduled to have a preliminary hearing March 17 before District Judge Colleen Mancuso of Brodheadsville.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by state police at Hazleton against Burns:

On Feb. 12, a state trooper pulled over a white BMW being driven by James Douglas Tucker in the area of Route 115 and Route 33 south after running a vehicle registration check on the car that showed the vehicle registration was for a black BMW.

Tucker refused a request to search the car, so a drug-sniffing dog was called in. The dog alerted to troopers to the presence of drugs.

Tucker told troopers that he was a felon and that a gun was in the center console. Tucker was detained and taken to PSP Stroudsburg.

Tucker told troopers at the barracks that the firearm in the center console belonged to his friend, “Todd.”

As the interviewed continued, Tucker said that “Todd, aka Rome,” later identified as Burns was utilized to straw-purchase guns for him.

Tucker said that he and Burns had been doing it for about 18 months and had bought about eight to 16 guns. Tucker said he would scout out the guns, then tell Burns which ones to buy, paying Burns a fee of $100 per gun.

Tucker said he would then resell the guns in Pennsylvania or New York for about $800 each.

Tucker, who told police he was a member of street gang “Bloods,’’ said that he had switched the license plate on the rental BMW to conceal his travels; he agreed to a search of the vehicle as well as removing the gun - a loaded pistol.

A text message communication indicated that Burns was going to be straw-purchasing a firearm from Dunkelberger’s Sports for Tucker on Feb. 14. Police spoke with staff at Dunkelberger’s, who provided information and photographs of Tucker in the store, looking at firearms, on Feb. 13.

On Feb. 15, state police obtained two search warrants for call detail and location records of both Burns’ and Tucker’s AT&T phones.

On Feb. 20, police received the records from AT&T and upon initial review of dates/times of known firearms sales between the two, their approximate location coincided with Dunkelberger’s stores in Brodheadsville and Stroudsburg.

On Feb. 27, Burns was interviewed and admitted to selling about eight guns to Tucker, along with three additional guns illegally sold to other individuals and gang members.

Burns also admitted knowingly providing false information on both federal and state firearm purchase forms.