An Oxford man was detained early Tuesday morning after a traffic stop uncovered a loaded firearm concealed in his unregistered pickup truck.
A Sumter County sheriff’s deputy was on patrol at 3 a.m. when he noticed a white Dodge pickup truck pulling a trailer at the intersection of County Roads 227 and 211. The deputy initiated a traffic stop because the truck and trailer lacked registration plates.
The driver, Shane Nicholas Farkus, 39, was unable to provide the vehicle’s registration. He informed the deputy that he had purchased the truck just two days before and had not yet registered it.
A K-9 unit arrived on the scene to provide backup, and the dog alerted on the vehicle, suggesting the presence of narcotics.
During a probable cause search of the pickup, deputies found a .22-caliber Marlin Glenfield Mod rifle stashed beneath the back seat. The gun was loaded with ten rounds of ammunition, but there was no round in the chamber.
Farkus had several felony offenses, according to his criminal history. After learning of the firearm’s discovery, Farkus informed the deputy that he was a convicted felon.
Farkus received a standard traffic penalty for failing to register a motor vehicle. He was arrested on a felony charge of possessing a firearm or ammunition by a convicted Florida felon, as well as a misdemeanor charge of operating an unregistered motor vehicle.
He was detained without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center.
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