Two Stamford men were arrested on Saturday, Nov. 21, one for the illegal possession of a firearm, the other for illegal possession of narcotics as well as brass knuckles.
Around 3:30 in the morning, police stopped a Mercury SUV on Danbury Road near Old Mill Road for driving without its headlights turned on. During the stop, the investigating officer detected the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle.
Searching the car, the driver and each of the three passengers, police recovered a Taurus .40-caliber revolver, amphetamine pill(s), a set of brass knuckles and small amounts of marijuana.
The driver, Clinton Bess, 20, of Yonkers, N.Y., was issued an infraction for failure to drive with illuminated headlights, and his front-seat passenger, Caleb Newell, 22, of Stamford was cited for possession of less than one-half ounce of marijuana.
The two passengers in the back, however, were tagged with more severe charges and arrested.
Tariq Marquise Andino, 20, of 446 Courtland Avenue, Stamford, admitted to owning the pistol, which police identified as a weapon with a large-capacity magazine. He was charged with carrying illegal weapons in a motor vehicle, criminal possession of a pistol, carrying a firearm without the proper permit, and illegal possession of a large-capacity weapon.
Connecticut state law specifies a “large-capacity weapon” as illegal and delineates it as any firearm with a magazine able to carry 10 or more rounds.
Richard Desmond, 23, of 43 Deacon Hill Road, Stamford, had the brass knuckles, a controlled substance for which he had no prescription, and a small amount of marijuana.
He was charged with the carrying or sale of a dangerous weapon, illegal weapons in a motor vehicle, narcotics possession and possession of less than one-half ounce of marijuana.
Police also discovered Desmond was wanted by Stamford Superior Court for a previous probation violation. A $15,000 court-ordered bond was added to the $25,000 surety placed on him by the Wilton Police Department for the charges he accrued on Nov. 21.
Desmond was unable to post the $40,000 and was arraigned at Norwalk Superior Court on Nov. 23. He will answer to his probation violation at a separate hearing not yet scheduled.
Andino was bailed out on his $25,000 by a bondsman. He is scheduled to appear at Norwalk Superior Court on Dec. 1.