City Man Charged with Hiding Gun, Shooter's Identity

A Bethlehem man who allegedly took money from a suspect to hide a sawed off shotgun used in a March was charged last week with multiple counts including a felony charge of hindering apprehension, according to court papers.

Derick A. Dorantes, 22, of 1203 Woodbine St., allegedly allowed Robinson “Moyo” Torres to use a storage shed at his home to hide the weapon used in a shooting that injured a man and a pregnant woman on March 21.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, police learned from an anonymous source where Torres had hid the weapon, but Dorantes denied knowing about the shooting or the weapon.

But after gaining permission of the property’s lessee to conduct a search, police found a bloody sawed off shotgun and a marijuana “roach,” according to the affidavit.

But Dorantes, interviewed afterward at , continued to allegedly evade questions about how the weapon got into the shed, according to the arrest warrant.

Dorantes told police that a man he knew as “Royal” gave him money to hide the weapon inside the storage shed, then left in a red car driven by a woman, while witnesses said that Torres fled the scene in a black car driven by a man, the court papers said.

According to the affidavit, police showed a picture of Torres to Dorantes, who denied that this was the man who visited him.

However, Dorantes did admit that the marijuana roach belonged to him. He told police that he sometimes would use the storage shed to smoke.

Finally, on Wednesday, Dorantes admitted in a telephone interview that the man who had paid him to hide the gun was Torres, according to the affidavit.

Dorantes was charged with hindering apprehension, obstruction of justice, unsworn falsification to authorities, providing false reports to law enforcement, tampering with evidence, possession of a prohibited offensive weapon and possession of a small amount of marijuana.