LEDYARD — A traffic stop early Sunday led to charges against a Preston man and the discovery of four failure-to-appear warrant cases, according to a public release provided by Ledyard Police on October 26.
Police identified the accused as Joseph Pereira, 42, of Preston. The department said an officer conducting traffic enforcement on Colonel Ledyard Highway stopped his southbound vehicle at about 12:47 a.m. October 25 because the rear license plate was not illuminated.
According to police, Pereira could not provide identification and an initial records check did not establish his identity. He was taken to headquarters without incident, where officers identified him and found outstanding warrants associated with Connecticut State Police Troop E.
The department’s release lists failure to properly display plates, operating under suspension, failure to notify a change of address and interfering charges in case 26-302-AR. Four additional cases, numbered 26-303-AR through 26-306-AR, each list second-degree failure to appear.
Police said he was held on a $10,000 cash or surety bond for the traffic-stop case and separate cash bonds totaling $42,500 on the warrants. The release lists a November 6 appearance at New London Superior Court, GA-10.
The release does not describe the underlying proceedings that led to the four failure-to-appear cases. No later court outcome has been verified.
Charges are allegations, and Pereira is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. This report was prepared from the department’s public release; Eastern CT News did not witness the stop.