Deputies find stolen handgun beneath orange raincoat during traffic stop

Deputies recognized driver from prior encounter

MARATHON, Fla. – A Marathon man was arrested on New Year's Eve after he was found with a stolen handgun during a traffic stop, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies were on patrol at 11:30 p.m. Saturday when they saw a green Ford truck pull out of a convenience store parking lot on 55th Street. 

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The deputies recognized the driver, 22-year-old Dustin Pelletier, who they knew from prior encounters had a suspended driver's license, according to a media release. 

As he was slowing down, Pelletier leaned over toward the back passenger side, deputies said.

Deputies said they  then found a loaded handgun hidden beneath an orange raincoat behind the passenger seat. 

 A check on the Taurus .357 Magnum revolver revealed that it had been stolen in November from a vehicle belonging to a Marathon woman, deputies said.

Pelletier was arrested on charges of grand theft of a firearm and  driving with his license suspended.