Arkansas man arrested on felonies
Jul. 5—An Odessa officer who expected to write a couple of traffic tickets ended up arresting an Arkansas man on a handful of felony charges Friday morning.
According to an Odessa Police Department report, the officer was near Pronto and Trunk streets around 12:30 a.m. Friday when he saw the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado speeding down Pronto and then blowing through the stop sign at Trunk. The officer wrote in his report he had to accelerate past 70 miles an hour to catch up with the pickup.
The driver of the truck, Raymond Charles Jr., 41, of Fort Smith, Arkansas smelled like marijuana and alcohol, according to the report.
The officer found a usable amount of marijuana, a THC vape cartridge and a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun that had been reported stolen in Arkansas in Charles' truck, the report stated.
A computer check indicated Charles has an extensive criminal history, including at least one felony conviction, making it illegal for him to possess firearms, according to the report.
Charles was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, theft of a firearm and possession of marijuana. As of Monday morning, he remained in the Ector County jail on surety bonds totaling $91,000. The U.S. Marshals Service has also placed a hold on him.
