John Willoughby: Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Thursday, April 12, a Madison man was arrested after a K9 search was conducted.
According to Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) Major David Harper, Staff Sergeant Jason Whitfield conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by James Benjamin Ware, 36, of Madison, at the intersection of Safari Dr. and Merritt Ave., in Madison, for committing a traffic violation. While speaking with Ware, Ssg. Whitfield requested routine assistance from Deputy Marcus Holbrook and his K9 partner, Axel.
While conducting a probable cause search of Ware's vehicle, the deputies located residual marijuana and a loaded .38 caliber revolver under the driver's seat. Ware denied owning the handgun, stating he was a convicted felon. Deputies were able to confirm the statement made by Ware and placed him under arrest without incident. Ware was charged with possession of a firearm/concealed weapon by a convicted felon.
At the time of the arrest, Ware was out of jail on a $7,000 bond resulting from his arrest on Tuesday, April 10, by the MCSO drug task force investigators for trafficking in MDMA (Ecstasy) and possession of cocaine.