Riverhead parolee arrested for giving false name at traffic stop

A Riverhead parolee with an active arrest warrant was nabbed Friday night after he gave police a false name during a traffic stop in Sagaponack, according to a police report.

Brandon Smith, 29, was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by police on Montauk Highway about 9:20 p.m., police said. Mr. Smith gave the police officer a false name, but the officer recognized Mr. Smith as the man wanted on active parole and arrest warrants.

The officer warned Mr. Smith that giving a fake name is a crime, but Mr. Smith insisted he was a different man. Police arrested Mr. Smith at the scene and charged him with second-degree criminal impersonation, a class A misdemeanor.

He had been wanted on charges of second-degree obstructing governmental administration — also a misdemeanor — relating to an incident in Southampton last month. Additional information about that warrant was not immediately available.

He was taken to police headquarters and processed to confirm his identity, police said.