VASSALBORO — A Whitefield man was summoned by Maine State Police last week for allegedly displaying an inspection sticker made out of Styrofoam on his truck.
Robert Barnes, 59, was stopped Thursday on Main Street in Vassalboro after Trooper Tyler Maloon noticed something was off about the sticker, according to a post Tuesday by Maine State Police on social media.
Barnes was summoned on a criminal charge of displaying a fictitious inspection sticker, as well as another charge for failing to inform law enforcement of a concealed firearm, because of the amount of time it took him to tell the trooper he had a gun under his seat.
When Barnes pulled over, he allegedly reached up and “ripped the sticker off the windshield,” throwing it with some trash in his vehicle, the post states. When Maloon questioned Barnes about the sticker, he allegedly denied it.
Maloon searched the truck after smelling marijuana. Barnes allegedly told the trooper that he had .22-caliber handgun under his seat only when Maloon said he was going to search the vehicle.
Maloon found a gun and a fake sticker, made of Styrofoam, but no drugs. The sticker, according to the police post, “didn’t quite pass the straight-face test.”
Madeline St. Amour — 861-9239
mstamour@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @madelinestamour