‘Irresponsible, illegal, and dangerous’: Durham deputies seize rifle, gun during stop

A Durham man has been arrested after deputies say they found an AR-15 rifle, a fully loaded 30 round magazine and drug paraphernalia in his car during a weekend traffic stop.

The stop occurred around 12:45 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Old Oxford Road and Dearborn Drive, according to a Durham County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Deputies conducting the traffic stop saw a rifle in the backseat of Derielle Jackson’s car and placed him in handcuffs after learning he had previous felony convictions, the release stated.

Jackson’s wife and two children were also in the car, the release stated.

AnnMarie Breen, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman, said an issue with the car’s vehicle tag led to the initial stop.

Deputies say they discovered a concealed Glock 9 mm pistol as Jackson’s wife stepped out and found drug paraphernalia and ammunition when searching the car.

Jackson, 43, has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

He had prior felony convictions for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injuries, felony drug possession and selling drugs, the office said.

‘Irresponsible, illegal and dangerous’

”When you look at the type of weapons Mr. Jackson was carrying around in his car on a Saturday, with his family, the entire community should be deeply concerned,” Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said in the news release.

“This level of irresponsible, illegal, and dangerous behavior is a danger to his family and a threat to public safety,” he added.

As of Oct. 31, the sheriff’s office had seized 126 firearms so far this year, according to the release.

Breen declined to comment on whether the guns found in Jackson’s car were legally obtained or why they were in the car that day, citing an ongoing investigation.

Jackson’s wife was also cited with carrying a concealed firearm.

Jackson was released from jail on a $5,000 bond the same day as his arrest, the release stated.

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