POUGHKEEPSIE – City of Poughkeepsie Police have arrested a convicted violent felon who was in possession of a loaded handgun early Sunday morning. This is the fourth gun arrest in the city since the beginning of November.
Police say that officers observed a vehicle stopped in the roadway near the intersection of Main Street and Columbus Drive just before 2 a.m. Officers approached the running vehicle and found the driver unconscious but breathing. Police knocked on the window several times in an attempt to wake the driver but were unsuccessful. The officers then opened the door at which point the driver woke and tried to put the vehicle in gear to flee the scene. Officers, who detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from the man, were able to remove him from the car.
As police questioned the man, identified as 33-year-old Kenneth Taylor, they learned that he has a prior DWI conviction. Police began to arrest Taylor on charges of DWI. As he was being taken into custody, they located a loaded .22 caliber Beretta handgun on his person. Taylor was taken into custody without further incident and charged with two counts of DWI and three counts of criminal possession of a weapon. Taylor also has a previous conviction for a violent felony.
“This is all in a day’s work for our officers,” said PBA President Kevin Van Wagner. “From providing holiday cheer and gifts to the community to taking drunk drivers who are in possession of handguns off of the streets. Our membership is dedicated to keeping its community safe.”
On Saturday, hours before Taylor was arrested, the police department had escorted Santa Claus throughout the city making several stops to deliver gifts for children and cheer for all. The event was sponsored by the City of Poughkeepsie PBA.
