By Jim Clark

A Somerville Police officer observed a pickup truck making unsafe lane changes on Mystic Ave. near Lombardi Street last Friday afternoon.

The officer activated his emergency equipment and stopped the vehicle near the intersection of Mystic Ave. and Revolution Dr. Additional units were requested as backup.

The officer approached the vehicle operator, later identified as Geoffrey Gouveia, of Cambridge, requested his license and registration and informed him of the reason of the stop.

Gouveia handed over his identification card and stated that he did not have a valid license. A query of his license showed that he was suspended.

The passenger, Giovanni Maione, who was the vehicle’s owner, also had a suspended license.

The officer requested a tow truck and asked Gouveia to step out of the vehicle and placed him in handcuffs.

Maione was removed from the truck, and an inventory was conducted before towing it away.

Police located 18 white pills and 40 orange pills on the front passenger floor mat and a pill bottle with no label and no lid. The white, oval pills with imprint G 13 were believed to be Gabapentin and the orange, oval pills with imprint b 974 (Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 30 mg).

Police also located a pill bottle under the passenger seat where Maione was seated. It contained 10 and one half pills. The pills were orange, oval, with imprint b 973 (Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 20 mg).

Maione stated that the pills found on the floor mat and under the seat belonged to him. He was asked if he had a prescription and he reportedly stated “Yes,” but was unable to produce one.

The officers noticed that the bottle found under the seat had a label, but only the last two letters of the person’s name were showing, “AN,” and neither defendant’s first or last name ended with the letters “AN”.

Maione was placed under arrest on a charge of possession of a class E drug.

Gouveia was placed under arrest on a charge of operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license.