Police Charge Three with Loaded Handgun after Peekskill Traffic Stop
Three 23-year-old men were charged by Peekskill Police with possessing a loaded handgun following a traffic stop June 13 on the Bear Mountain Parkway.
Officer Jonathan Mosquera pulled over a 2005 Audi after observing the driver, Garfield Holland, a resident of Cortlandt, commit a traffic offense. Further investigation revealed Holland had a suspended license.
Officers Kylee Pappas and Khalia Carter later arrived on the scene to offer assistance and observed the front seat passenger, Noah Waldstein, a resident of Cortlandt, attempt to reach for an unknown item under the seat. Waldstein and the rear seat passenger, Cain Smalls, a resident of Peekskill, were removed from the vehicle and a loaded 9mm handgun was located under the front passenger seat.
All three suspects were charged with criminal possession of a firearm in the second degree (Class C felony) and criminal possession of a firearm in the third degree (Class D felony) after the firearm was found to have a defaced serial number. Waldstein was also charged with criminal impersonation in the second degree (Class A misdemeanor) after providing officers with a false name. He was also found to have an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in a court on a previous charge.
Police Chief Eric Johansen commended the three officers for their actions. “Vehicle stops are known as one of the more dangerous jobs that police officers are tasked with and thanks to good solid teamwork, these three officers were able to safely arrest these individuals without incident, remove an illegal handgun from our streets, and prevent future violence.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
