Last Wednesday a traffic stop on Meadow Street near John J. Stefanik Elementary School in Chicopee ended with officers seizing a loaded handgun, suspected drugs and arresting a 24-year-old local man, police say. Patrol officers pulled over a black Honda Civic, and a look inside turned up drug paraphernalia and cash that investigators say justified a deeper search. The department laid out the details on its Facebook page this week, putting the incident squarely on the radar of nearby neighbors and parents.
City Dispatch Logs Show The Arrest And Charges
According to the city’s dispatch and arrest log, officers stopped the vehicle on Meadow Street last Wednesday and identified the driver as Adam Sean Battles, 24. The official record lists an arrest under case 26CHI-355-AR and charges that include carrying a firearm without a license, possession with intent to distribute a Class D drug, possession of ammunition without an FID card and several motor-vehicle violations. The information appears in the arrest log published by the Chicopee Police Department.
Officers Report Loaded Handgun And Drug Paraphernalia
In a post on Facebook, the Chicopee Police Department says officers spotted a clear plastic bag with apparent marijuana, several empty plastic bags, a digital scale and loose cash on the passenger-side floorboard. The same post notes that a backpack recovered from the vehicle held a loaded handgun. Police say the car was displaying plates registered to a Subaru Impreza even though it was a black Honda Civic, and that Battles told officers he had recently bought the car and the plates belonged to him. The vehicle was ordered to be towed and Battles was taken into custody, according to the Chicopee Police Department.
Charges Bring Potential Criminal Exposure Under State Law
The arrest log lists motor-vehicle counts for an unregistered and uninsured vehicle and a number-plate violation to conceal identification, along with criminal charges for possession with intent to distribute a Class D drug, possession of ammunition without an FID card and carrying a loaded firearm without a license. The Chicopee Police Department record outlines the full slate of charges. Massachusetts law requires a License to Carry or a Firearm Identification card to possess many firearms and ammunition, and legal resources note that unlicensed possession or carrying can bring misdemeanor or felony exposure and, in some instances, mandatory minimum sentences, according to the Giffords Law Center.
What Happens Next
Battles was booked and remains in custody pending prosecution, and the vehicle was impounded, according to the Chicopee Police Department. Court dates and formal filings were not listed in the public dispatch log, so local prosecutors will decide the next steps. Similar traffic stops in the area have also turned up weapons this year, a pattern that has kept officers leaning on traffic enforcement as one way to get firearms off the street, with another Chicopee firearms case earlier this year drawing attention as well.
