SENNETT — A Florida man was arrested early Sept. 20 after New York State Police found him intoxicated with a loaded handgun following reports of shots fired in Cayuga County.
Troopers from the Auburn barracks observed a suspicious 2021 Ram pickup truck with Florida plates parked on the east shoulder of State Route 34 in the Town of Sennett at approximately 3:34 a.m.
The vehicle had its hazard lights activated when troopers made contact with the operator, Matthew Stone Mitstifer, 28, of Florida.
Mitstifer displayed obvious signs of intoxication, according to police.
During the encounter, troopers recovered a loaded Glock 19 handgun with a defaced serial number from Mitstifer’s waistband.
Mitstifer was taken into custody without incident.
A search of Mitstifer’s person and vehicle revealed multiple weapons, police said.
While troopers were on scene, Cayuga County 911 received a report of shots fired in the area of 7220 State Route 34.
Troopers and Cayuga County Sheriff’s Deputies located spent 9mm shell casings in front of Mitstifer’s vehicle.
Police discovered multiple bullet holes in nearby roadway signs and damage to the siding of a residence.
The firearm seized from Mitstifer was determined to have been recently fired.
Mitstifer was transported to the Auburn State Police barracks for processing, where he refused to submit to standardized field sobriety tests and a chemical breath test.
During processing, Mitstifer became uncooperative, made threats toward law enforcement, and made racist remarks, police said.
Mitstifer was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, second-degree reckless endangerment, and driving while intoxicated with a previous conviction within 10 years.
He was arraigned at Cayuga County Centralized Arraignment and remanded to the Cayuga County Jail pending further court proceedings.
