By Joe Johnson
A 24-year-old convicted felon was arrested in Athens early Tuesday morning when a gun and over an ounce of pot were found in an SUV he was driving, Athens-Clarke County police said.
An officer was on patrol at about 2:09 a.m. when he saw the driver of a Toyota Sequoia having difficulty maintaining his lane on Whit Davis Road, according to police.
During a traffic stop, the officer wrote in his report, “I could smell an overpowering stench of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.”
The driver, 24-year-old Markeas Carnell Jones, was detained and placed in handcuffs after the officer learned there was a warrant for Jones’ arrest at the Lawrenceville Police Department, the arrest report noted.
When searching the man, the officer found a .380-caliber bullet in his pocket, according to the report. “When asked if there was a gun in the vehicle, (Jones) hesitated, then responded with the classic ‘there shouldn’t be,” the officer wrote in the report.
During a search of the SUV, police said a fanny pack containing several bags and a jar that altogether contained "well over an ounce" of weed was found in the back seat.
A Bryco .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol was located in between the driver’s seat and center console, according to the report, which stated that because of a 2017 robbery conviction in Gwinnett County Jones was not allowed to have a gun.
Jones was arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies, failure to maintain lane, and driving on a suspended or revoked license.
The police report listed Jones as living on Cole Manor Drive in Athens, but the Clarke County Jail had an address in Dacula for him.
Jones was released later in the day Tuesday into the custody of Lawrenceville police and after posting bonds totaling $8,450.