BABBITT- A Babbitt man was charged with felony possession of a firearm last week after a routine traffic stop. Babbitt police pulled over Richard William Ritacco, age 56, on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 11:23 p.m., for a failed license plate tag light.
At the time, Babbitt PD personnel observed that Ritacco had a Sig Sauer P365 9 mm handgun “on the front seat,” which Ritacco claimed to own. The pistol had no bullet in its chamber but did have a partially loaded magazine. Ritacco cannot legally possess firearms because of a 1999 felony stalking and harassment conviction. The Babbitt police later removed several firearms from Ritacco’s residence.
The St. Louis County prosecutor’s office recommended a conditional release with a $20,000 bail, noting that Ritacco had “a relatively clean criminal history over the last twenty-five years.” The St. Louis County Jail released Ritacco without bail on Wednesday, Feb. 12.