An 18-year-old Ocala man and a 17-year-old juvenile were arrested on weapons charges after they were caught hanging around a stolen vehicle behind a church in Silver Springs.
Ethean Bass, of 6920 NE 5th Place, was charged with dealing in stolen property, grand theft of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. The juvenile, a 17-year-old male, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
At around 5:30 a.m. Thursday, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle behind the first Baptist Church of Silver Springs, at 4100 NE 35th St., where Bass, the juvenile and another male were standing near a white 2012 Mazda. They said their battery was dead and they were trying to get it “jumped,” according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy asked for identification and none of the three could provide it. Due to some recent vehicle burglaries in the area, the deputy spoke with Bass separately and read him his Miranda warning. Asked if he had anything illegal in his possession, he said he had a gun and a THC pen, the report said.
Bass lifted his shirt and the deputy observed a black 9mm Smith and Wesson M&P Shield concealed in his waistband. Bass said the juvenile also had a pistol in his waistband. The deputy found a black .45-caliber pistol in the juvenile’s waistband, according to the report.
A records search showed both weapons had been reported stolen, as was the vehicle they were standing near. The juvenile refused to answer any questions, the report said.
Asked how he obtained the stolen Smith and Wesson gun, Bass said he bought it two days earlier from a white man named “Phill” at a residence on NE 42nd Place. He said the man also tried to sell him a .380 firearm, according to the report.
Bass said he had a feeling the Smith and Wesson was stolen but he purchased it for $200 anyway. He said he never ran the serial number because he felt like it might be stolen, the report said.
Bass and the juvenile were taken to the Marion County Jail. Bass was released Saturday on $5,000 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on March 16. No bond or court information was available about the juvenile.