A Jackson, Miss., man was arrested Friday afternoon after he was stopped for speeding and a stolen rifle was found in his vehicle.
Deputy D. Johnston of the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office stopped a SUV eastbound on Interstate 20 clocked on radar at 84 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone. After approaching the vehicle, Deputy Johnston detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside.
When asked if there were any weapons in the car, a passenger said no. The driver, Devore T. Johnson, 36, was directed out of the vehicle and asked about the presence of narcotics. Johnson stated they had smoked marijuana earlier but there was none in the vehicle but then he had a firearm inside his purse.
The deputy returned to the vehicle and observed the passenger with Johnson’s purse now in his lap. When the passenger was asked to step out of the vehicle, the deputy saw a firearm underneath his legs.
The two men were detained while a search recovered the pistol on the seat under the passenger, the pistol in Johnson’s purse, and an AR-style rifle from behind the driver’s seat. Johnson stated all the firearms belonged to him.
A records check indicated the rifle had been reported stolen.
Johnson was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for speeding 84 in a 70 zone and illegal possession of a stolen firearm. Bail was set at $35,000.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
