A 61-year-old Ocala man was arrested Monday night after being caught with crack cocaine and a loaded gun.
Ronnie Edwards Autry, of 106 NW 2nd St., was charged with possession of a controlled substance, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting without violence.
Ocala Police officers conducting a routine security sweep along the 1800 block of NW 1st Street observed Autry start rapidly walking northbound through a dirt path leading to NW 2nd Street. A chase ensued and one of the officers caught up with Autry and brought him to the ground, according to the OPD report.
The officer struggled with Autry to place his hands behind his back, and two other officers stepped in to help. Autry tensed his arms to avoid being placed in handcuffs. During the struggle, an officer saw a firearm in Autry’s back pants pocket. A fully loaded revolver was removed from Autry’s pocket and the struggle continued to place him in handcuffs, the report said.
It took several commands and all three officers to gain control over Autry’s arms and place him in two separate pairs of handcuffs behind his back. A pat-down after the arrest yielded 3 grams of a crack cocaine in a small clear container in Autry’s left jacket pocket. Autry did not possess a valid concealed carry weapons permit, according to the report.
Autry was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Wednesday on $6,000 bond.