Police/Fire

Drug charges filed after incident with fake gun

Shawn Barry Derby is facing drug charges in Westfield District Court. (Photo courtesy of the Westfield police department)

WESTFIELD- A Ludlow man was arrested on drug charges in Westfield Tuesday afternoon following an incident in West Springfield in which the man showed another person his fake gun.

Shawn Barry Derby, 31, of 106 Meadowcrest Circle, Ludlow, was arrested by Westfield police for charges of possession of a class A drug and possession of a class E drug. Westfield police officials stated that the class A drug in question was an unidentified amount of heroin, and the class E drug was an undisclosed prescription.

West Springfield police received a call that Derby had brandished a hand gun at a bystander in their city. The weapon was later revealed to be fake, and West Springfield police officials said that Derby had told the bystander that it was fake as well.

West Springfield police notified Westfield police that Derby was last seen driving towards Westfield. After receiving a positive match of his reported license plate number, Derby was pulled over by Westfield police officers on South Broad Street. It was during the stop that the fake gun was secured, and the heroin and unknown prescription were discovered.

Derby will face his charges in Westfield District Court. West Springfield police officials said that because the victim was informed by Derby that the gun was fake at the time of the incident, they would not be perusing any assault or weapons charges.

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