Police: Bethel Man Asleep Behind Wheel With Crack, Gun, No License

Police say a Bethel man has been arrested on drug and weapon charges after falling asleep behind the wheel of a running vehicle on Hunting Ridge Lane.

At around 5:30 AM on Sunday (June 2) Bethel Police responded to a complaint about the suspicious vehicle. Officers say they discovered a glass pipe commonly used for smoking crack cocaine between his legs. From there, a search of the car turned up another crack pipe, one gram of crack cocaine, and a handgun.

Officers then identified the man as 45-year-old Antonio Veiga of Bethel, who is a convicted felon and has a suspended license. Because of his prior conviction, it is against the law for Veiga to carry a handgun. He was also found to have an active arrest warrant for failing to appear in court regarding a previous arrest.

Antonio Veiga was charged with possession of narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of a firearm, failure to appear to in court, and driving a motor vehicle under suspension.