BOSTON, Nov. 4, 2013—Things went from bad to worse for a South End man arraigned today after his decision to show off for his friends – and a State trooper behind him at the red light he ran – led to the discovery of a loaded handgun in the trunk of his car, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

HECTOR L. DELVALLE (D.O.B. 9/4/84) was arraigned today in East Boston District Court on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, receiving a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession of a Class E substance, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, and the civil offenses of failing to stop at a red light, failing to wear a seatbelt, and possessing less than an ounce of marijuana. Assistant District Attorney Janine D’Amico requested that Delvalle’s bail be set at $10,000 with conditions that he abide by a curfew and submit to GPS monitoring. Judge Roberto Ronquillo, Jr., set bail in the amount of $7,500 and imposed the recommended conditions of release.

D’Amico told the court that, at approximately 1:00 a.m. Sunday, a State trooper in a marked cruiser watched as a Honda Accord stopped at a red light on Bennington Street suddenly went into reverse, spinning its tires before passing the other stopped vehicles and making an illegal left turn through the red light onto Saratoga Street.  The trooper turned on his cruiser’s lights and siren and stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Saratoga and Boardman streets.

The driver, identified as Delvalle, was not wearing his seat belt and explained to the trooper that he was “showing off” for friends, prosecutors said. Asked when he last received a ticket, Delvalle allegedly responded that he’d gotten one about a month prior for not wearing a seat belt.

The trooper checked Delvalle’s license status and learned that he had, in fact, received a seat belt citation – but that he received it in May and his license had been suspended in August for failing to pay the accompanying fine. For that reason, the trooper ordered him out of the car, at which point Delvalle allegedly offered that he had a small amount of marijuana in the car’s door panel, prosecutors said.

The trooper then inventoried the car prior to having it towed. In addition to a small quantity of marijuana where Delvalle said it would be, he recovered a black backpack in the car’s trunk. The backpack contained a hard, heavy object later found to be a Lorcin Model L380 .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun with the serial number obliterated, prosecutors said.  The gun’s safety was in the off position, and there were three rounds in the magazine.

Also in the backpack were personal papers in Delvalle’s name, including a jury service letter and a prior motor vehicle citation. The trooper also recovered about 15 capsules believed to be prescription antibiotics for which Delvalle said he did not have a prescription. Delvalle was placed under arrest and transported to the State Police barracks in Revere.

Delvalle is represented by Austin Freeley.  He will return to court on Dec. 3.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.