A Ruston man was arrested on numerous weapon and drug charges after being stopped walking in a residential neighborhood about 12:45 a.m. Tuesday morning.
A Ruston police officer on patrol in the area of West Barnett Springs Avenue and Maple Street saw two men wearing dark hooded sweatshirts carrying backpacks. Several burglaries have been committed in the area in recent months by men wearing similar clothing.
The two men were contacted and told the reason for the stop. Shortly thereafter, one man fled on foot. The second man, Ke’Marrion S. Coleman, 19, was detained. A records check showed Coleman was wanted by the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office for simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling.
A subsequent search discovered 18 grams of marijuana in Coleman’s pants pocket and a fully loaded Smith & Wesson pistol in his backpack. The serial number on the pistol had been scratched off.
Coleman refused to identify the other man. He was taken to the Lincoln Parish Detention Center and booked for illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, illegal carrying of a weapon, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, and the Union Parish warrant.
Bail on the local charges was set at $45,000.
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.
