Charges: Traffic Stop Leads to Gun Seizure from Rochester Felon

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A convicted felon from Rochester is facing new charges after being found with a gun earlier this summer. 

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The criminal complaint, filed Monday in Olmsted County Court, says Rochester Police officers found the weapon during a traffic stop on the morning of June 8. The vehicle was stopped after the officer reported seeing it commit multiple traffic violations. 

Court documents say the vehicle continued making several turns after the officer activated his squad car’s emergency lights, which made him suspicious the vehicle’s occupants were attempting to conceal something before the traffic stop. Once the vehicle stopped, the officer found three occupants, one was identified as 25-year-old Romelio Balderas Jr. 

The officer obtained consent to search the vehicle and found a loaded 9mm handgun in a backpack that Balderas said belonged to him. The criminal complaint says he told investigators he bought the gun “off the streets.” 

Court records indicate Balderas was convicted of felony second-degree assault in Olmsted County in 2018, a crime that prevents him from possessing a firearm. He's charged with felony possession of a firearm. The judge in the case set his conditional bail at $20,000 Monday. 

The arrest and gun charge against Balderas is the latest installment of the Rochester Police Department’s crackdown on illegal possession this summer. The Police Department recently reported officers have taken over 20 firearms off the streets since June.