Man in Prison Gun Case Turns Himself In

A Bethlehem man accused of having a gun hidden in his waistband when he was processed into Northampton County Prison last year -- resulting in a lengthy lockdown at the jail -- has turned himself in.

Christian Neith, 20, of 2107  Easton Ave., Apt. 1, was arraigned Tuesday before in Easton on a felony weapons possession charge, a misdemeanor count of reckless endangerment, and two counts of having weapons or implements of escape.

Neith was initially arrested on Dec. 29 in Bethlehem, searched by city police, and then again by corrections officers at the prison. Despite four different searches, no one found a gun on his person; it later turned up about a week later, hidden behind a file cabinet in the prison's intake unit.

Because of this incident, the county says it is it searches new prisoners. Bethlehem police are also reviewing their procedures, and conducting an internal investigation. County Executive John Stoffa said the guard whose final search missed the gun -- a .9 mm -- no longer works for the county, although he would not identify the worker or say whether they had been fired or quit.

Neith was free on $100,000 bail Tuesday. He is required to live with his father, to  submit to random drug tests, and to be supervised by the county's pretrial services.