The driver of a vehicle stopped for failure to signal a turn was arrested by Ruston Police for numerous drug and firearm offenses.
Mitchell Lacurtis White, 57, of Ruston, was arrested about 4 a.m. June 22 after a traffic stop and a stolen shotgun was discovered in the vehicle.
When White exited the vehicle, officers noticed the shotgun behind the front seat. The gun was partially covered by clothing and other items. White denied a shotgun was in the truck, replying, “You mean the pellet gun?”
When an officer placed a hand on White’s shoulder and asked him to step to the front of the patrol car, White fell to the ground, screaming, “You hit me.” White remained on the ground for about 10 minutes “causing a scene,” according to an officer’s report.
Ruston Ambulance Service was called to the scene and White was transported to the Northern Louisiana Medical Center complaining of neck pain.
A records check revealed the shotgun was stolen in Ruston and that White was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms.
Upon his discharge from the hospital, White was booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center. When searched, detention center staff found bags of suspected methamphetamine and synthetic marijuana in White’s shoes.
Charges against While include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a stolen firearm, introduction of contraband (methamphetamine) into a penal facility, introduction of contraband (synthetic marijuana) into a penal facility, possession of synthetic marijuana, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled substance.
White’s bail was set at $170,000.
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.
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