CHICOPEE, MA — A well-being check early Christmas morning led to the arrest of a Springfield man on firearms and drug charges.
Officers were dispatched to Chestnut Street at approximately 5:17 a.m. Thursday for a report of someone yelling in the street.
When officers arrived, they did not see anyone in the immediate area and began checking surrounding streets.
An officer turning onto Park Street observed a man walking down the middle of the road.
The officer identified the man as Alfonso Ponce, 38, of Springfield.
Ponce appeared nervous and confused with slurred speech, according to police.
Ponce told officers he was walking home but had already walked past the street where he claimed to live.
During the interaction, Ponce waved his right arm while speaking but kept his left arm pinned to his waist.
When asked if he was holding something with his left arm, Ponce said it was a phone and began turning his left side away from officers.
An officer asked Ponce if he had a firearm, and he stepped back and grabbed his left jacket pocket.
Officers approached Ponce to check him for weapons.
Ponce became tense and refused to let officers check his pocket.
He was placed in handcuffs, and a loaded firearm was located in his left jacket pocket.
Ponce was transported to the Chicopee Police Department and booked.
During the booking process, officers located a folded dollar bill containing a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine.
Ponce was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a Class B drug and possession of a Class A drug.
