ROCKLAND — Wrong place, wrong time, wrong trousers pretty much sums up Tuesday for Jason Palmiter, cuffed in downtown Rockland after a sawed-off shotgun fell out of his pants at the very moment a passing deputy sheriff was wondering why he walked so funny.

Palmiter, 26, of Auburn was arrested by Knox County Deputy Kip Bickford Tuesday afternoon, charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon. The 18-inch double-barreled shotgun taken from Palmiter also could result in a federal charge of possessing an illegally remanufactured firearm.

Bickford said he was driving his cruiser down Main Street at about 1:30 p.m. when the awkwardly strolling Palmiter caught his eye. “He was walking very stiff-legged, looking kind of anxious,” Bickford said. “Just as I was thinking `What’s this all about?’ the gun slid out of his pants leg and onto the sidewalk. He obviously didn’t see me, but I saw him pick it up and try to tuck it back in his pants.”

Palmiter then ducked down a side street, where he was immediately arrested by Bickford as he tried to get the hefty gun to stay put in his waistband. “I approached him while he was preoccupied, the whole thing ended with no problems,” Bickford said. “He did try to divert my attention at first, telling me he’d dropped a small black bag he was carrying, but I told him I could tell the difference between a sawed-off shotgun and a little leather bag. I knew what I’d seen on the sidewalk.”

A brief initial interview with Palmiter failed to reveal what the man was doing in downtown Rockland with a gun down his pants. “We have no idea at this point what his intentions were, but I doubt if they were particularly good,” Bickford said. “About all he’s told me is that the felony conviction is for receiving stolen property, but we haven’t confirmed that yet.”

In addition to the two state firearms charges, Palmiter also is being held on a warrant from Cumberland County for failing to pay a $25 court fine. Bickford said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has contacted him about pursuing the federal firearms violation.