Seatbelt Stop Evolves into Drugs, Weapon Arrest for Rochester Man

They were stopped for a seat belt violation and it grew into more, at least for a Monroe county man.

Troopers in Rochester were on patrol working an Operation G.I.V.E. (Gun Involved Violence Elimination) initiative at approximately 7:54pm on Friday, May 13, 2022 when a driver and passenger were seen not wearing their seat belts, according to their report.

Hollenbeck Street in Rochester, New York via Google Maps (May 2022)

The car was pulled over on Hollenbeck Street and police say they spoke with both the driver and passenger. The passenger was identified as 30-year-old Brandon Statham of Rochester, New York.

According to a written release from New York State Police, neither the driver nor the passenger had a driver license. Both were asked by police to exit the vehicle. Police say that when Statham exited, he had a plastic bag in his pants pocket that contained crack cocaine and MDMA ( 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) pills, commonly referred to as "Ecstasy" or "Molly."

handgun and molly pills Photo Credit: New York State Police (May 2022)

Police say they also found a .380 handgun that was loaded with five rounds.

No criminal charges were reported for the driver.

Statham, the passenger, faces the following charges:

Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd Degree (handgun)
Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree (previous convictions)
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 5th Degree (MDMA pills)
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree (crack cocaine)

He was brought to the Monroe County Jail, with arraignment scheduled for May 14, 2022 at 9:30am.

No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This post is for informational purposes and is based largely on information received from the New York State Police. The reader is reminded that all suspects and arrested persons are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. At the time of this posting no additional information is available.]

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