An observant city police officer possibly thwarted a much more serious crime this morning when he stopped a vehicle at a hotel parking lot and found an altered weapon on the car's floorboard.

According to a Fredericksburg Police report, at about 5:40 a.m., the officer was patrolling near the Quality Inn parking lot off Plank Road when he saw three men leave the hotel in a white vehicle to go to the nearby Shell Gas station. The officer continued to scope the situation and noticed that the three men were acting suspicious. The officer decided to approach the men when he saw one of them handling a bag in the back of the vehicle.

Back-up officers arrived to the scene and all three men had exited the vehicle. An officer searched the vehicle and found a Smith and Wesson pellet gun with a bored out barrel.

Sean Pollard, 20, of Culpeper was charged with a concealed weapon violation and with possession of an altered handgun. He was being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail where he is being held without bond.

The Fredericksburg Police Department released the following information:

• Wal-Mart, 1800 Carl D. Silver Pkwy, 8/11 9:40 am. The pharmacist reported that an unknown male dropped off a forged prescription to be filled. The investigation is ongoing.
• Fredericksburg Fairgrounds, 2400 Airport Ave, 8/4 8:00 am (reported 8/11 8:00 am). The victim reported that while she was working as a vendor at the fairgrounds, her daughter’s iPod touch was removed from the booth. No suspects or witnesses at this time.
• Treehouse Lounge, 2802 Plank Rd, 8/11 2:30 pm. The owner of the business reported that a white male driving a blue minivan removed stainless steel kitchen equipment from the rear of the business and loaded it into the van. The male subject then took the kitchen equipment to Summit Recycling to sell as scrap metal and received cash for the transaction. Brian McConnell, 31, of Spotsylvania was arrested for larceny and obtaining money by false pretenses.
• 900 block Mercer St, 8/11 6:30 pm. The victim reported that his registration sticker was stolen from his vehicle while it was parked on the street. No suspects or witnesses at this time.
• Bottom Dollar, 515 Jefferson Davis Hwy, 8/11 6:45 pm. The victim reported that someone struck and damaged her vehicle while she was parked in the parking lot. The suspect vehicle is described as a gray mid-size car. No suspects or witnesses at this time.