A male witness in the ongoing New Philadelphia homicide case was recently jailed in Schuylkill County Prison on felony gun and theft charges in an unrelated incident.

Jahlique Sherwood, 22, of Saint Clair, was charged by borough police after they reportedly found a stolen firearm in his possession on Dec. 19.

He faces felonies of receiving stolen property and firearms not to be carried without a license, and is now in jail on 10% of $50,000 bail, according to court records.

Sherwood was identified in court documents as a witness in the Oct. 8, 2023, deaths of New Philadelphia teens Hunter Mock and Angelito Xavier Caraballo. Lamour Branch, the Port Carbon man charged with the homicides, still awaits trial.

According to court documents, a patrol officer apprehended Sherwood on Dec. 19 after he spotted him in a convenience store. The officer said Sherwood was known to have an active arrest warrant on a prior case, and checked state databases to confirm it.

Sherwood was taken into custody on that warrant. During a search incident to arrest, police found a black handgun concealed in Sherwood’s waistband. A records check through NCIC showed that the Springfield XD gun had been reported stolen from Bloomsburg. Police contacted state police in Bloomsburg, who confirmed it was stolen.

Police also made a records inquiry and found that Sherwood did not possess a valid license to carry firearms.

Sherwood was arraigned Dec. 22 by Magisterial District Judge Stephen J. Bayer in Tamaqua.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Jan. 27 before District Judge Edward M. Lewis in Port Carbon.

Homicide case

At Branch’s preliminary hearing in July 2024, Sherwood testified he was present at “The Sanchez,” an old mining area filled with water where the shooting occurred. Sherwood said he was with Branch, Mock and Caraballo the night of the murders when they arrived in the area.

Sherwood testified that Branch pointed a gun toward the water at “The Sanchez” and then at Mock. Sherwood said he ran away and later heard several shots.

Schuylkill County President Judge Jacqueline L. Russell recently granted a continuance for Branch’s case. His trial is now scheduled to start in May.