Three Jefferson County residents were arrested Sunday after a gun and alleged drugs were found in the vehicle they were in.
Bradley Socia, 26, Candis Thompson, 24, and Joseph Manes, no age listed, were taken into custody by White Hall police after Officer Robert Rogers stopped the vehicle they were in at about 1 a.m.
According to a probable cause affidavit from Investigator Dennis Kendall of the Tri-County Drug Task Force, Rogers was on the parking lot of Fairfield Credit Union when he saw a Mercury Grand Marquis pass him and saw the license plate light was out. The license plate also appeared to be bent, and when Rogers ran a check on the license plate number, it showed that the license should have been on a Toyota.
Kendall said in the affidavit that Rogers stopped the car on the Shell Food Mart parking lot at 8003 Sheridan Road and during a search of the vehicle, found a hypodermic needle under the seat where Socia was sitting, resulting in the arrest of Socia and another passenger.
Officers also located a soft drink can containing suspected methamphetamine, a black bag containing two hypodermic needles and a key box containing numerous clear plastic bags.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
An unloaded .380-caliber handgun was found between the seats and Kendall reported that when officers removed the license plate, a clear bag containing three smaller bags of suspected methamphetamine were found.
Two other passengers who were in the vehicle were released pending further investigation.
Pine Bluff District Judge John Keanrey set a $10,000 bond for Socia, Thompson and Manes after ruling prosecutors had probable cause to charge Socia with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia and Thompson and Manes with possession of a controlled substance and simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms.