Warwick man charged with illegally possessing gun and knife following traffic stop

Warwick man charged with illegally possessing gun and knife following traffic stop

Published on Monday, May 13, 2024

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Warwick man has been charged in Kent County Superior Court with illegally possessing a firearm and knife following his arrest by the Warwick Police Department.

On May 8, 2024, the Office of the Attorney General charged Austin Means (age 26), by way of criminal information, with one count of carrying a pistol without a license and one count of carrying a knife more than three inches in length.

As alleged in the criminal information, on October 5, 2023, a Warwick Police officer observed a Volkswagen Jetta traveling southbound on Oakland Beach Avenue. The officer noticed a Minnesota license plate displayed in the vehicle's rear window and no plate in the license plate bracket. When the officer ran the license plate, it showed that the plate belonged to a 2014 BMW. The officer then conducted a traffic stop, and the driver (the defendant), was not able to provide insurance and registration for the vehicle.

As further alleged, the officer asked the defendant to open the driver's side door to obtain the vehicle's VIN number and observed a 9mm Glock handgun under the driver's seat. Upon seeing the gun, the officer searched the defendant's person and located a 3.5" knife in the defendant's right pocket.

The defendant is scheduled for arraignment on May 24, 2024, in Kent County Superior Court.

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