Man With Loaded Gun On Lap Snoozing While Parked Along Hwy 101

The California Highway Patrol arrested a Santa Rosa man for possession of a loaded firearm after he was found asleep in his car with a revolver on his lap early Sunday morning.

Two CHP officers pulled behind a Dodge Ram truck that was parked on the right shoulder of northbound U.S. Highway 101 near Hearn Avenue around 2:35 a.m.

The officers called for backup when the driver was found asleep in the driver’s seat with the weapon resting on his right leg, the CHP said.

The officers used the public address system to order the driver to raise his hands, but the driver pulled away and drove to the Hearn Avenue off-ramp and stopped.

The driver, identified as Leon Simms Jr., 35, of Santa Rosa, was removed from the truck at gunpoint during a high-risk traffic stop, the CHP said.

In addition to the .357 revolver, Simms had marijuana and he was booked into Sonoma County Jail for possession of a loaded firearm in his vehicle, possession of marijuana and driving on a suspended license, the CHP said.

Simms has an extensive criminal history and multiple traffic violations including DUI, the CHP said.

--Bay City News