ALBANY, NY – An Albany Police officer last night pulled over a drunk driver and found a loaded 9mm handgun in his possession.
“A 40-year-old Albany man has been charged with Driving While Intoxicated and weapons possession following a traffic stop early Wednesday morning on Clinton Avenue,” the Albany Police Department said.
On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at approximately 3:40 a.m., patrol officers stopped a vehicle on the 500 block of Clinton Avenue between North Lake Avenue and Quail Street for several violations of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law. During the stop, officers observed that the driver, Vernon Montague, was in possession of an open bottle of liquor and showed signs of intoxication. He subsequently failed field sobriety tests that were administered by the officer and was placed into custody.
During the arrest, a loaded 9mm handgun was also recovered from inside the vehicle.
Montague was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd and Driving While Intoxicated. He was also cited for Refusal to Submit to a Breath Test, Failure to Signal, Inadequate Tail Lights, and Drinking Alcohol in a Motor Vehicle on a Public Highway.
He was arraigned in the Albany Criminal Court and remanded to the Albany County Jail.