One of the men who accused Bishop Eddie Long of sexual misconduct was arrested late Thursday in Miami on suspicion of being a drug dealer, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Jamal Parris, 24, was driving a white 2011 BMW in Miami Beach Tuesday evening when a Florida Highway Patrol officer noticed that it had no tags.
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.
Police said the stash along with the automatic weapon was “indicative of a drug dealer.” Parris was arrested and charged with two felony counts of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He also was charged with operating a motor vehicle with no registration, a misdemeanor.
The BMW was towed and impounded. Parris’ passenger, Jeremy Jouvanni Gordon, 20, of Miami was also arrested on drug related charges.
Parris was apparently driving the same 2011 BMW that he bragged about buying on his Facebook page a few days after settling his lawsuit against Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.
The men reportedly settled their lawsuits for around $2 million each. But, according to the terms of the structured settlement, the cash will be paid out in installments over the next 20 years.
