GASTONIA, N.C. — A Gastonia man was arrested after police found a gun disguised to look like a pen during a search Tuesday night.
The man, 52-year-old Timothy Virlyn Tilson, is a convicted felon. He pleaded guilty to a felony in 1998, police said.
Tilson was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Police also found a packet of bath salts during the search.
According to police, they found the gun after responding to a disturbance in a parking lot in which Tilson was involved.
Officers said the pen-gun was completely concealable and functional, and described it as “very dangerous.”
Tilson was taken to the Gaston County Jail on Tuesday night but had bonded out by Wednesday morning.