HAMLET — A Saturday night checkpoint led to more than 40 citations and the recovery of a stolen Scotland County firearm.
According to Hamlet police, 22-year-old Lesedric Buchanan, of Laurinburg, had a Taurus 9 mm handgun, which had been reported stolen from Laurinburg, when he was stopped at one of four locations during a multi-jurisdictional checkpoint.
Joining the Hamlet Police Department were the Vass and Pinehurst police departments from Moore County, the Laurinburg Police Department from Scotland County and the Rockingham Police Department and Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
Officers had checkpoints set up at the intersection of N.C. 177 and Jefferson Street, intersection of Main and Bridges streets, intersection of Main and Oakhurst streets and on Gin Mill Road from 10 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Monday.
Buchanan is charged with a felony county of possession of a stolen firearm, as well as one misdemeanor count each of possession of marijuana between a half-ounce and 1.5 ounces and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
He was booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $2,500 secured bond. Buchanan is scheduled to appear in Richmond County District Court on June 8.
Online records with the N.C. Court System and the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction show Buchanan has no other pending charges or previous criminal convictions in the state.
Two arrest warrants were also served for probation violations, police say, as well as the following citations issued:
• driving while impaired —1
• driving after consuming alcohol under the age of 21 — 1
• open container — 2
• littering — 1
• inspection violation — 1
• failure to carry a driver’s license — 5
• child restraint violations — 10
• window tint violations — 4
• driving while licensed revoked — 5
• driving left of center — 1
• having an expired registration — 6
• having no operator’s license — 4
• allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a motor vehicle — 1
• improperly displaying a license plate — 2
• headlight violation —1
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
Reach William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_toler.