Narcotics and a facsimile firearm were allegedly found as police recovered a stolen car in Southington on Friday, leading to two arrests.
Patrol officers were alerted to a stolen gray Fiat 500 that was being driven in town in the morning hours on Friday before the vehicle was spotted headed south on Queen Street, according to Lt. Justin Burke of the Southington Police Department.
Burke said officers stopped the vehicle after the driver turned into an apartment complex on Baron Court. Two people were inside who got out of the car and were cooperative with authorities.
They were identified as 32-year-old Reggie Santoni, the driver, and 28-year-old Desyer Lopez, both of New Britain. They were each taken into custody, Burke said.
According to Burke, Lopez was searched and was allegedly found with about 3.5 grams of cocaine. Police also searched the vehicle and found a tan Glock 19X air soft pistol as well as drug paraphernalia in the front passenger area of the vehicle.
Santoni was charged with second-degree larceny and operating a motor vehicle without a license. He was held on a $25,000 bond and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in New Britain Superior Court.
Lopez was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and illegal possession of weapons in a motor vehicle. She was released on a $5,000 non-surety bond and turned over to the New Britain Police Department, where officers had a warrant out for her arrest, Burke said.
“The men and women of the Southington Police Department stand committed in keeping the citizens of this community safe,” Burke said in a statement. “Often times, many of these arrests involve the discovery of firearms, both real and facsimile, which have shown a history of being used in violent crimes in the State of Connecticut. These facsimile firearms highly resemble actual firearms, and when mistaken as actual firearms can result in tragic consequences for those involved.”
