SUNBURY — While frisking a Sunbury driver who provided a false name, smelled of alcohol and had an expired license plate, police found an unregistered loaded semiautomatic pistol in the jacket he was wearing and a bag of marijuana on the car’s floor, city police said.
Sunbury police on Tuesday filed a slew of charges against Robert Kline, 64, including felony possession of an unregistered loaded semiautomatic handgun after authorities stopped the vehicle Feb. 28 on Arch Street.
Kline was pulled over after police noticed an expired registration, court documents said.
Kline saw police behind him, immediately stopped and jumped out of the vehicle, after which police ordered him to get back inside, court documents said.
Kline obeyed, then told police it was his girlfriend’s car, police said.
After police asked for identification and proof of insurance, Kline shuffled through the glove box and provided a receipt for a fine paid at District Judge Ben Apfelbaum’s office, court documents said.
Police continued to press Kline for insurance information and proof of identification. Kline told them he didn’t have his driver’s licence with him, but his name was “Robert Beaver” and he was from Milton, police said.
As Kline was providing a copy of old insurance forms, police detected a strong odor of alcohol, court documents said.
Kline was asked to leave the vehicle and was put through field sobriety tests. Police said they had probable to cause to arrest Kline for driving under the influence.
During a patdown, a loaded Raven Arms Model P-25 .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun was found in Kline’s jacket with one live round in the chamber and four additional rounds in the magazine, police said.
Police checked the gun and discovered it was not registered to anyone, court documents said.
Police also checked the name Robert Beaver, but after the patdown found Kline had a driver’s licence bearing with his real name in his wallet, court documents said.
Police discovered Kline had a valid driver’s licence with an ignition interlock restriction.
An ignition interlock device or breath alcohol ignition interlock device is a mechanism, like a breathalyzer, installed on a motor vehicle’s dashboard.
The vehicle Kline was in had the device, police said.
Police noticed a clear baggie containing greenish-brown vegetable matter on the floor of the vehicle. Kline told police that it was marijuana and it belonged to him and that he purchased it earlier in the day, court documents said.
Police charged Kline with a felony count of firearms not to be carried without a license and eight misdemeanor counts ranging from possession of marijuana to drunken driving.
His blood-alcohol concentration was 0.147, according to court documents.
