Drunk driving, illegal handgun charges send two men to jail

Huntingburg officers arrested two men — one for drunk driving and the other for illegal possession of a handgun — after finding a car stopped in the drive lane of the parking lot at Huntingburg’s City Park.

According to Huntingburg officers, an officer patrolling through the Huntingburg City Park at about 10:30 p.m. found a Nissan Altima stopped in the parking lot drive lane about 30 feet south of the stop sign at the First Street intersection. According to the officer, he stopped behind the Nissan and waited about three minutes for it to move.

During that time the driver activated his emergency lights so the officer approached the vehicle to offer assistance. When the officer got to the vehicle, he observed Luis Rodriguez, 26, sitting in the driver’s seat and Sergio Duron, 27, in the passenger’s seat.

Rodriguez had a Cobra 40 oz. beer in his lap, according to police.

While talking with Rodriguez, the officer saw a handgun protruding from under a sweatshirt next to Duron’s leg.

The officer then ordered the two men from the car and radioed for backup. Once another officer arrived on scene, they conducted a search of the vehicle and located two handguns; a Smith & Wesson MP22 and a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum. Both were seized and a records check indicated Duron did not have a license to carry a handgun.

Both men were transported to the Huntingburg Police Department and Rodriguez submitted to a chemical test. Police determined he had a .17 percent blood alcohol content.

Duron was charged with carrying a handgun without a license and Rodriguez was charged with operating while intoxicated.