PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A routine traffic stop outside James A. Long Elementary School landed one man in jail Tuesday after deputies say they found drugs and a loaded gun in his car.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy noticed a vehicle with an expired tag driving onto campus for student drop-off.
When the driver, Rodney Francis, 41, of Palatka, spotted the deputy, he parked and tried to walk away with a passenger.
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Deputies quickly stopped them and brought them back to the car.
A K9 team searched the vehicle and found a loaded firearm, about 14.5 grams of Ecstasy pills, and a list of people who owed money. Deputies also found two fireworks.
Francis faces charges of gun possession on school grounds and drug trafficking.
Francis was sent to jail, while the passenger was not charged.
Officials say the school was never locked down, as the situation was contained in the parking lot.
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