SMETHPORT — A Clearfield man headed to New York for cigarettes was stopped on Saturday in Bradford Township and jailed for illegally possessing a gun.

Michael Stuller, 38, of 1413 Daisy St., is charged with possession of firearm prohibited, a second-degree felony; firearms not to be carried without a license, a third-degree felony; failing to relinquish a weapon to law enforcement, a second-degree misdemeanor; possession of methamphetamine, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, all misdemeanors; and several traffic summary offenses.

According to the criminal complaint, about 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, state police stopped a vehicle in Bradford Township for speeding. Stuller, the driver, told police he was heading to New York for cigarettes. The officer noted a strong odor of marijuana, and Stuller pulled an unsmoked joint from his pocket. The trooper asked if he had anything else, and Stuller said there might be a roach in the door. The trooper asked for permission to search the car; Stuller declined, but said he would be happy to get it for the trooper. He asked if he could get a “little bag of weed” out of the car, and the trooper and Stuller walked to the car together. As the trooper was asking if there were weapons in the car, he saw a pistol on the driver’s seat, the complaint stated.

Stuller retrieved the items from the car, and the trooper placed Stuller in cuffs, finding that he was wearing a pistol holster. He did not have a concealed carry permit, said the gun was loaded, and he had it for protection because he was “going to New York.” The gun was a 9mm loaded with full metal jacket rounds, and with one in the chamber, the complaint stated.

When police ran Stuller’s information, he had an active protection from abuse order which prohibited him from having a weapon, and he had a prior burglary conviction, which had the same effect.

Stuller was arraigned Saturday before on-call District Judge Bill Todd and remanded to jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. He is scheduled for Central Court on Thursday.