Police: Drunk Driver Had Loaded Handgun in Car

A 67-year-old Islip woman was arrested Monday night after police say she drove drunk on the Southern State Parkway with a loaded handgun inside her vehicle.

Susan Vassilev-Gugliotti is charged with second degree criminal possession of a weapon–a felony–DWI and traffic violations, according to State Police.

Police said a trooper was dispatched to a report of an erratic tan pickup truck on the eastbound side of the Southern State Parkway near Exit 31–Bethpage Parkway– shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday.

The trooper located the vehicle east of Exit 33–Route 109–in Lindenhurst and observed the Dodge pickup truck fail to stay in the lanes of travel and also drive onto the shoulder and back onto the roadway, police said. After stopping the vehicle, the trooper noticed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage and that the driver, Vassilev-Gugliotti, had bloodshot watery eyes.

Vassilev-Gugliotti failed sobriety tests and was subsequently arrested for DWI. During the sobriety tests, police said Vassilev-Gugliotti kept attempting to walk back to her passenger side door but her efforts were stopped by the trooper. Vassilev-Gugliotti had a blood alcohol content of .21, more than two-and-a-half times the legal limit, police said.

After placing Vassilev-Gugliotti under arrest, the trooper immediately located a loaded handgun inside of her vehicle, police said. Vassilev-Gugliotti was held for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip.