Monticello resident Matthew P. Space, 25, was arrested in Deerpark on Saturday, Nov. 7, the Deerpark Police Department announced on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
The incident began just before 4 p.m. on Saturday when an officer saw a vehicle traveling south on Route 42/97 cross a double yellow line to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone. The officer soon pulled the vehicle over and identified Space as the driver, the department said.
A check of the vehicle's records revealed that its registration had been suspended, according to police. As officers prepared to impound the vehicle, they searched it and discovered a loaded Taurus 9mm semiautomatic handgun beneath the driver's seat, police added.
Police also said they recovered additional 9mm ammunition from Space. Further investigation revealed that the handgun had been reported stolen from a jurisdiction in Massachusetts, authorities said.
Space was taken into custody without incident and brought to the Deerpark Police Department for processing. He was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.
Space also faces misdemeanor charges of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended registration and failing to return license plates or registration documents, along with several traffic violations.
After his arrest, Space was arraigned before Judge Audra Schwartz at the Orange County Centralized Arraignment Part and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in Deerpark Town Court on Nov. 17 at 4 p.m.
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