An Ocklawaha man charged with having a semi-automatic shotgun with a filed-off serial number in the shed where he was living told deputies the weapon was there when he moved in – just minutes before they arrived.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant Wednesday morning at 10735 SE 131st Lane. As they arrived, a Marion County sheriff’s detective observed Jeremy James Grant, 31, coming out of the exterior shed on the southeast section of the property. It was later discovered the shed had been converted into living quarters with a bed and miscellaneous furniture, according to the sheriff’s office report.
During the search, a semi-automatic shotgun was found in the shed Grant was seen exiting. The gun was unloaded, with the action open and ammunition close by. Grant’s clothes and personal belongings were also inside the shed, with an arm’s reach of the shotgun, which was leaned against a cabinet in plain view from the doorway. Upon inspection, the serial number of the firearm had been removed, as indicated by the raw, rough metal where the number would have been, the report said.
Grant said he had no knowledge of the firearm in the shed. However, he confirmed the cell phone plugged into the charger next to the shotgun was his. Grant said he had just moved his belongings into the shed minutes before law enforcement arrived. He said a woman had helped him move his things into the shed and plugged his phone in. Grant said he set his clothes and other belongings down just inside the doorway and did not pay attention to the items inside the room, according to the report.
Grant’s prior felony convictions include grand theft of a motor vehicle in Jefferson County in 2007, and armed burglary, grand theft, and grand theft of a firearm in Leon County in 2012, the report said.
Grant was charged with possession of an altered firearm and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He’s being held in the Marion County Jail on $11,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on March 9.