West Deer police say man was heavily intoxicated, had illegal gun, pot in car when pulled over

West Deer police say a man who was pulled over after nearly crashing into a police cruiser was intoxicated and had an illegal gun and pot in his pickup.

Alexander J. Settembrino, 24, of the 500 block of Madison Drive in Richland was charged with a felony count of carrying a firearm without a license along with counts of drug possession, driving under the influence, and driving on the wrong side of the road in connection with an Aug. 16 traffic stop.

Settembrino was charged by summons and ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Tom Swan on Nov. 1, according to court documents.

Police wrote in a criminal complaint that an officer was traveling north on Oak Road near Pine Lane about 2:30 a.m. when a silver pickup traveling in the opposite direction almost hit his cruiser after crossing the center line.

The officer said Settembrino appeared to be drunk when his truck was pulled over along Middle Road Extension near Route 910.

Settembrino told the officer he was carrying a knife on his hip but that there were no firearms in the truck, the complaint said.

But when Settembrino was asked to get out of the truck so he could undergo a series of field sobriety tests, he pointed to the driver’s side door and told the officer there was a pistol in the console and that he did not have a permit to carry the weapon, the complaint said.

An herb grinder with marijuana inside also was found in the console and confiscated, police said.

Police said Settembrino failed all three field sobriety tests that were administered and was arrested for DUI. Blood drawn and tested after he was taken into custody showed that his blood alcohol level was 0.239%, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.080%, according to the complaint.

Police traced the gun through a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives database and found there was no registered owner for the weapon.