By Ray King
A 25-year-old Pine Bluff man currently on probation in Drew County was arrested Thursday after police found a handgun in backpack the man was carrying.
Belifia Parks was a passenger in a car that vice and narcotics detectives stopped on West 28th Avenue after they saw the driver fail to use a turn signal to make a left turn from Bay Street.
Detective Kevin Kirk reported that he approached the driver of the car while Detective Jeremy Crosby approached Parks who was in the passenger seat.
Kirk told the driver that he smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and the driver, who was not charged, said the odor was probably coming from them because they had “just smoked a blunt.” Parks also told officers he had a medical marijuana card.
Because of the odor of marijuana, Parks and the driver were asked to exit the vehicle and Parks got out with a black leather backpack which he was told to leave in the vehicle. Parks placed the backpack in the passenger side floorboard.
When Kirk searched the backpack, he found a handgun in the main pocket and Parks said he did not know the gun was in the backpack. The gun was a .40-caliber Taurus with one round in the chamber and nine in the magazine.
Parks was run through the Arkansas Crime Information and National Crime Information Centers which indicated he was a convicted felon. He told police he had bought the gun at a pawn shop and had a receipt for it.
Kirk took possession of the handgun which did not return as reported stolen and it will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for analysis.
On Friday, Jefferson County District Judge Kim Bridgforth set a $25,000 bond for Parks after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge him with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors records show Parks was placed on probation for unlawful use of a communications device, possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Parks said he would hire his own attorney.
