WESTFIELD—A traffic stop early Friday morning resulted in the arrest of a Springfield man.
Westfield Police Department arrested Jose L. Torres, 32, of 314 Fountain St., Springfield, Mass., after stopping the vehicle he was operating that was traveling approximately 5 MPH with the vehicle’s hazard lights on, in the breakdown lane of East Main St.
Police charged Torres with forged RMV documents, possession of a class B substance (cocaine), number plate violation, no inspection/sticker, as well as an uninsured and unregistered motor vehicle.
According to police, Torres was initially stopped after police found that the license plate on the 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo belonged to a different vehicle. Once police approached Torres, they also noticed that the vehicle had an inspection sticker on the inside of the windshield that was held there with masking tape. The inspection sticker also belonged to a different vehicle.
Police said that Torres told them the vehicle he was operating belonged to his sister and that she recently purchased it, and that he did not have the proper documentation or proof of purchase with him.
After police removed Torres from the vehicle, they began to search him. Upon the search, police reported finding three small bags of cocaine in his left shoe. Police also stated that Torres has had prior convictions of drug trafficking, so the charge would be a subsequent offense.
