A Florida man is facing multiple felony charges after State Police say he was found intoxicated with a loaded handgun following a shots-fired incident in Cayuga County early Saturday morning.
Troopers from the New York State Police in Auburn say they spotted a 2021 Ram pickup with Florida plates parked on the shoulder of State Route 34 in the town of Sennett around 3:30 a.m. September 20. The truck’s hazard lights were flashing when officers approached.
The driver, identified as 28-year-old Matthew Stone Mitstifer, showed signs of intoxication, according to police. Troopers say they recovered a loaded Glock 19 handgun with a defaced serial number from his waistband and later found multiple additional weapons during a search of his vehicle.
Around the same time, Cayuga County 911 received a report of shots being fired nearby. Investigators found spent 9mm shell casings in front of Mitstifer’s truck, bullet holes in road signs, and damage to the siding of a nearby home. Police determined the recovered handgun had been recently fired.
Mitstifer was taken to the Auburn barracks, where police say he refused sobriety and chemical tests. During processing, they say he became uncooperative, threatened officers, and made racist remarks.
He is charged with:
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd (C felony)
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd (D felony)
- Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd – Previous Conviction (D felony)
- Reckless Endangerment 2nd (A misdemeanor)
- Driving While Intoxicated – Previous Conviction within 10 years (E felony)
Mitstifer was arraigned at Cayuga County Centralized Arraignment and sent to the county jail.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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