Los Angeles man arrested in Naples after curfew, faces drug, weapon charges

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Prabhtej Chhatwal, 33. Credit: Collier County Sheriff’s Office

A Los Angeles man was arrested on Monday night in Naples after deputies say he broke curfew while possessing drugs and a firearm as a convicted felon.

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, deputies conducting coastal safety and security patrols in the area of Ninth Street South and Central Avenue around 10 p.m. arrested Prabhtej Chhatwal, 33, who was driving an unregistered tow truck while carrying a firearm and ammunition.

Deputies saw a tow truck with Virginia plates dragging a vehicle behind it without its amber safety lights on as required by law. When they pulled Chhatwal over, he told deputies he purchased the tow truck last month in Virginia but never registered it because he couldn’t pay the $5,000 fee. Deputies say they smelled marijuana inside the truck. Chhatwal does not possess a medical marijuana card.

Based on the smell of marijuana, deputies searched the truck and found a Glock handgun on the dashboard in front of the driver’s seat, a loaded 30-round magazine next to the driver’s seat and 6.5 grams of marijuana in the truck.

Chhatwal was taken into custody. He now faces charges of the open carrying of weapons, possession of marijuana under 20 grams and failure to register a motor vehicle. Further investigation by deputies found he already had three previous felony convictions in Virginia.

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