A routine late-night traffic stop turned into a drug and weapons arrest for a Canandaigua man after troopers say they found cocaine and a loaded, unregistered handgun inside his pickup.
According to the New York State Police, the stop happened around 9:30 p.m. Thursday on the New York State Thruway in DeWitt. Troopers pulled over a Ford F-150 for an alleged traffic violation.
While speaking with the driver, identified as Scott Teerlinck, officers reported seeing a clear plastic baggie with a white powder in the center console. Police say Teerlinck told them it was cocaine, and a field test later confirmed the substance.
A search of the truck also turned up what police described as a loaded 9mm “ghost gun” in the back pocket of the driver’s seat, along with several loaded magazines and brass knuckles in a door compartment.
Teerlinck was charged with felony criminal possession of a weapon and misdemeanor counts for both weapon and controlled substance possession. He also received a traffic citation.
Authorities say he was taken to the Onondaga Justice Center for arraignment and is scheduled to appear in DeWitt Town Court on March 11.
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.
