Share
Statesville A Statesville pawn shop owner says his arrest on dealing in stolen guns and jewelry will turn out to be, in his words, a “misunderstanding.”
Philip Razor of Catawba faces a laundry list of charges.
In addition to stolen property charges, he has also been charged with trafficking in fraudulent identifications and possession of controlled substances.
On Tuesday, Razor said he was in “total shock.”
“I’ve never gone through anything like this in my life,” he told WCNC-TV, the Observer’s news partner.
Police arrested him last week at the store he owns in Statesville, the North Carolina Gold and Diamond Exchange.
Asked if he had ever dealt in stolen weapons or jewelry, Razor said, “No. No. Never.”
An employee who works at a store next door to Razor’s said he’d noticed things about Razor and his business that just didn’t seem right.
“He had people come in and out of the place and we didn’t know who they were,” said Dell White. “(A) couple of cars would pull up and he’d hop in the car with them.”
Investigators searched Razor’s store after they said they made several undercover sales. They said they found items that had been stolen in several area home break-ins.
They also seized a sawed-off shotgun and for that, Razor was charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
Razor would not go into detail about the guns but did say, “Firearms are a big hot-button today and I’m sure this has a lot to do with what is going on.”
Razor said he is not guilty of anything, adding, “Maybe there was some ignorance on my part. Maybe there was some ignorance on their part, but I think it will all come out as a misunderstanding.”
Razor is due for his first appearance in Iredell County Court on Wednesday.
