Poughkeepsie Man Now Facing Charges For Possession Of “Defaced” Weapon

Recently one local Poughkeepsie man found himself on the wrong end of law enforcement following an encounter with some New York State Troopers. The interaction was detailed in a press release recently published by the New York State Police.

From Traffic Stop to Felony Arrest

According to the press release issued by the NYSP, the encounter took place late last month on June 27, 2024. State Troopers who were apart of the New York State Police Community Stabilization Unit and City of Poughkeepsie Neighborhood Recovery Unit, conducted a traffic stop of a 2021 Kia Forte on Mill Street in Poughkeepsie for what was described as "violations of the vehicle and traffic law".

Troopers at the scene began an investigation which started with identifying the driver of the vehicle. The driver was successfully identified as 24-year old Malique J. Stephenson, a local of Poughkeepsie.

In the investigation, Troopers discovered that Stephenson was illegally in possession of two different handguns. The first was a Glock 19 which had been defaced and the other was Taurus G2C. Defacing is the term used when a firearm has its serial number or other identification marks removed, altered or destroyed.

Following the discovery, Troopers confiscated the weapons and placed Stephenson under arrest. Stephenson was later arraigned on multiple charges for the possession of the firearms and after arraignment, he was remanded to the Dutchess County Jail without bail.

List of Charges and Possible Penalties

Amongst the charges that Stevenson now faces, the majority of them are considered felonies. In addition, because he was in possession of two illegal firearms, many of the charges have been applied twice. The official charges are as follows...

• Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon, a class C felony
• Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Firearm, a class E felony
• Criminal Possession of a Defaced Weapon, a class D felony
• Two counts of Unlawful Possession of Certain Ammunition Feeding Devices, a class B misdemeanor.

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With multiple charges, the possibility exists that Stephenson could be facing multiple years behind bars, in addition to potential fines. A judge overseeing this case may also have a number of options to look at in terms of sentencing and those options could be based on other factors like whether or not the accused has a previous criminal record.

All of this is merely speculation as the press release did not state if or when Stephenson is scheduled to be back in court.