A 27-year-old Ocala man was arrested after a stolen gun and drugs were found inside his vehicle during a traffic stop.
On Thursday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy observed a white sedan that failed to come to a complete stop at the intersection of SE Timucuan Road and SE Sunset Harbor Road in Summerfield.
The sedan continued to drive westbound onto SE Sunset Harbor Road and the deputy conducted a traffic stop near the 14500 block of SE 100th Avenue.
The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was identified as Jean-Marie Lubin Celestin.
According to the MCSO report, the deputy smelled a strong odor of marijuana emitting from inside the vehicle. Celestin told the deputy that he did not have a medical marijuana card.
Celestin stepped outside of the vehicle and the deputy performed a pat down search. A wad of cash was observed in his pocket along with a plastic baggie that contained a green leafy substance. This substance later field-tested positive for marijuana.
The deputy searched the vehicle and located a black .45-caliber Springfield semi-automatic handgun in the compartment next to the steering wheel. A loaded magazine was also found next to the handgun.
A check of the handgun’s serial number revealed that it had been reported stolen out of Kentucky on September 27, 2021.
The deputy checked Celestin’s criminal history and learned that he was convicted of grand theft in the third degree in Broward County on April 23, 2019.
Celestin was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail. After he exited the patrol car, the deputy spotted a plastic wrap in the backseat which contained 10 white tablets that were later identified as Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen.
Celestin was later released from the jail on $23,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, grand theft of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, and evidence tampering.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.