An Oxford man was arrested early Tuesday morning after a traffic stop revealed a loaded rifle hidden inside his unregistered pickup truck.
A Sumter County sheriff’s deputy was on patrol at about 3 a.m. when he spotted a white Dodge pickup truck pulling a trailer at the intersection of County Road 227 and County Road 211. Neither the truck nor the trailer had a license plate attached, prompting the deputy to initiate a traffic stop.
The driver, identified as 39-year-old Shane Nicholas Farkus, was unable to provide registration for the vehicle. He told the deputy he had purchased the truck just two days prior and had not yet registered it.
A K-9 unit arrived at the scene to provide backup, and the dog alerted on the vehicle, indicating the possible presence of narcotics.
During a probable cause search of the pickup, deputies discovered a .22-caliber Marlin Glenfield Mod rifle tucked underneath the back seat. The rifle was loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition, though there was not a round in the chamber.
A criminal history check revealed that Farkus had multiple felony convictions. After being informed about the discovery of the firearm, Farkus confirmed to the deputy that he was a convicted felon.
Farkus was issued a uniform traffic citation for failing to register a motor vehicle. He was placed under arrest on a felony charge of possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted Florida felon, as well as a misdemeanor charge of operating an unregistered motor vehicle.
He was being held without bond at the Sumter County Detention Center.