Man busted for drug and weapons offenses after being pulled over for speeding

Contributed Photo/Courtesy GCSO: Pete Montez Jr. was booked into the jail on drug and weapons charges.

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

SAFFORD – Pete Anthony Montez Jr., 35, of Safford, was arrested and booked into the Graham County Jail on Wednesday, Nov. 7 on two counts of misconduct involving weapons, possession of a narcotic drug (cocaine) possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving on a suspended license.

According to a Safford Police report, Montez was westbound on U.S. Highway 70 in a lifted, white pickup truck traveling at about 45 mph in a 35 mph zone. An officer performed a traffic stop and the truck pulled into the east side of the Walgreens parking lot at the intersection with 20th Avenue.

Upon inspection, the officer identified Montez and noticed a box of rifle shells in the truck with him. The officer recognized Montez as a prohibited possessor of firearms – which includes ammunition – due to past felony charges and asked if there were any guns in the truck. Montez advised there was a hunting rifle and that he was going to go hunting the next day.

During a search, the officer located two hunting rifles along with roughly 69 rounds of ammunition. The rifles were identified as a Springfield 1903 and a Savage Axis – both of which had high-powered scopes and were kept in their cases to avoid being damaged. 

As the officer was detaining Montez for being in possession of the firearms, he located a small plastic baggie in Montez’s shirt pocket that contained cocaine.

Montez was then placed under arrest for possession of a narcotic drug (cocaine), misconduct involving weapons for being a prohibited possessor, misconduct involving weapons for having firearms in the commission of a drug offense, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving on a suspended license.

Montez was allowed to call his father to the scene to remove his personal items out of the truck before it was towed and put in a mandatory impound. Montez was then taken to jail.