Two Ocala men and a juvenile male were arrested on weapons charges, and two were charged with possession of marijuana during a traffic stop Tuesday night.
Desmond Octavious Howard, 20, of 6879 NE 1st Place, was charged with carrying a concealed firearm without a permit, possession of a weapon by a Florida felon, and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. Tezeph Tyrece Thompson, 18, of 8497 SW 133rd Lane Road, was charged with carrying a concealed firearm without a permit.
The juvenile, who is 17, was charged with possession of over 20 grams of marijuana, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, and use or display of a firearm during a felony. There was one other passenger in the vehicle who was not arrested.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy pulled over a maroon Dodge sedan at around 8:26 p.m. for failing to maintain a lane on the 16700 block of SW 36th Avenue Road. The deputy noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the car and called for another deputy to help her search the vehicle and its occupants, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy asked Thompson, who was the driver, if he had anything illegal on him and Thompson said he had a handgun under his seat. The deputy found a green and black “Kel Tech” 9mm handgun under the seat within Thompson’s reach. Thompson does not have a concealed carry permit. He did not speak to the deputy after being read his Miranda warning, the report said.
Howard was sitting in the rear seat on the driver’s side. While searching Howard, the deputy found a black Taurus PTIII G2 9mm handgun tucked in his right pantleg area, as well as a small clear bag containing a green leafy substance inside his front-left pocket. The substance tested positive for marijuana, according to the report.
Howard does not have a concealed weapons permit, and a criminal history check shows he was adjudicated guilty as a delinquent in 2017 for burglary of a conveyance while armed and for felony grand theft. After being read his Miranda warning, Howard declined to speak with the deputy, the report said.
The juvenile was in the front passenger seat. When he stepped out of the vehicle, the deputy could immediately smell the odor of marijuana emitting from him. The deputy felt a large bag inside the right-side pocket of the juvenile’s jacket that the juvenile said was marijuana. The deputy retrieved the bag, which contained a green leafy substance and a black digital scale, according to the report.
The juvenile also said there was a firearm in the passenger-side door area that belonged to his father. The deputy found a black semi-automatic handgun in the door. The juvenile does not have a concealed weapons permit. The green leavy substance tested positive for marijuana and weighed about 30 grams, the report said.
The three men were taken to the Marion County Jail, where Howard and Thompson are being held on $3,500 and $1,000 bond, respectively. Both are due to appear in Marion County Court on Jan. 5, 2021. No bond or court information was available for the juvenile.