Jamal Parris, One of Bishop Long’s Accusers, Busted in Florida for Pot Distribution and Possessing a Firearm (w/Update)

UPDATE (9:01 p.m., 6/30/11):

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, there is more about the arrest of Jamal Parris.  Like the name of the cop and who was with Parris at the time.

Sgt. Seth Dubinsky stopped the car. When he approached it, he smelled marijuana, he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday.

Dubinsky searched the car and said he found 181 grams of marijuana, which is worth about $1,000 on the street. He said he also found 50 clear plastic baggies and a Taurus semiautomatic handgun. He said Parris also was carrying $1,250 in cash.

The gear was “indicative of a drug dealer,” Dubinsky said. Parris was arrested and jailed. He was charged with two felony counts: possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm while committing a felony. He also was charged with operating a motor vehicle with no registration, a misdemeanor. It was unclear late Thursday whether he was still in custody.

The car was seized, and passenger Jeremy Jouvanni Gordon, 20, of Miami was arrested on a drug paraphernalia charge.

[…]

Parris, who is still using his Stockbridge address, immediately demanded a lawyer Tuesday, but still said a few things to Dubinsky.

“He kept telling me he bought that BMW with the settlement money,” Dubinsky said. Parris also told the cop he’d been accepted to Miami-Dade College. “He said, ‘you guys are getting the wrong impression of me.'”

Uhuh, “wrong impression.”  Young brother, you need help.  Lots of it.  I think that you’d better get right, some kind of way.  And sooner rather than later.

_______________

Jeezus. SMDH. One of the most credible witnesses around regarding the Bishop Eddie Long case, and he trips and falls on his own sword doing wrong.

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From Dale Russell at MyFoxAtlanta:

Jamal Parris was considered by many to be the pivotal player in the Bishop Eddie Long lawsuits. He was the oldest of the young accusers and the only one to publicly provide lengthy, in-depth details of the allegations. Now, Parris finds himself back in the spotlight again.

About one month after the Bishop Long case was settled with money paid to the four young men , a Florida Highway Patrol trooper arrested Parris and charged him with felony count of marijuana distribution and use of firearm during commission of a felony. The arrest took place in Miami Beach, where the I-Team is told Jamal Parris has been living for the past three weeks.

According to the arrest report obtained by the I-Team, around 6:28 p.m. on Tuesday, Parris was driving a 2011 BMW 328i when a trooper noticed a weathered temporary tag. The trooper “smelled a strong and distinct odor of marijuana.”

The report says Parris told the trooper he had a “firearm in a bag” in the back seat. The officer wrote that he found the gun and “50 small clear zip lock bags” consistent with selling pot.

The report says that Parris had “$1,251” in cash in his pocket. In the trunk, officers found “181 grams” “of “suspected marijuana.” The trooper felt all the evidence was “indicative of a drug dealer.” Parris was arrested and bonded out later that night.

According to sources close to the case, Parris had moved to Miami to “attend Miami Dade College” and had already registered for school. He “bought a handgun in Atlanta for protection.” The BMW was paid for with “money from the Long settlement.”

Parris has told friends he just wanted to finish college in Miami.

Will the college accept him now with this on his record? Parris had the right idea going back to school, but becoming a dope dealer? Did he think that he was starring in some kind of movie, living large? He sure didn’t need the extra cash, just as he didn’t need the Beamer. He cannot afford fritter away all that good going to court all the time, because from now on, the cops are going to be watching him. Who did he think he was, above it all like Bishop Long?

Like I said, these young men need counseling–psychological as well as spiritual–and above all, they need to keep their heads down, stay out of trouble, and get on with being positive about their lives.

~ by blksista on June 30, 2011.