DEXTER, Maine — A bent truck frame and the smell of marijuana led to a Bradford man being charged with a gun violation in Dexter last week, according to police.
Dexter Police Chief Kevin Wintle said on Monday that he was traveling east on Route 94 on Thursday when he spotted a black Ford pickup truck with a bent frame and no inspection sticker.
Wintle turned his cruiser around and pulled over the truck just before Jennings Hill Road, he said.
“I approached the vehicle and I could smell marijuana coming from the vehicle,” said Wintle.
The driver, Dana McQuesten, 35, of Bradford, handed over a usable amount of marijuana, Wintle said.
“Once the vehicle search started, we located a loaded firearm under a blanket in the passenger’s seat,” said Wintle. McQuesten did not have a concealed carry permit for the Colt .45-caliber revolver, he said.
McQuesten was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a Class D charge. He was also charged with two civil offenses — possession of a usable amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
“He stated that the gun was his and said he didn’t know why he didn’t take it out of the vehicle [beforehand],” said Wintle.
McQuesten was taken to the Dexter Police Department, where he was bailed on $500 unsecured bond.
Dexter Officers Dana Gatcomb and Gary Morin and Sgt. Alan Grinnell assisted on the arrest.