A car stopped for an equipment violation turned into drug and firearms charges for one of the occupants.
On Friday, April 7, 2023, at approximately 11:20 p.m., a trooper from the Michigan State Police Gaylord Post pulled over a vehicle on Boyne Avenue near Fall Park Road in Boyne City. The driver of the vehicle, a 52-year-old man from Saginaw, had three passengers with him, one in the back seat was a six-year-old who was not wearing a seat belt nor was he in a car seat, according to a news release.
The driver told the trooper they were up from Saginaw and were looking for places to fish. The trooper observed a handgun on the floorboard inside the vehicle. The front-seat passenger, 35-year-old Demetrius Christopher Mason from Saginaw, said the gun was his. He also said he was carrying another handgun.
Mason provided a valid CPL to the trooper, but during a consent search of the vehicle the trooper found a plastic bag containing a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine. A satchel belonging to Mason contained over $650 cash in small denominations, the release added. Also, inside the satchel, the trooper found a battery with a false bottom containing a white powder residue.
Mason was arrested and taken to Charlevoix County Jail. He was arraigned this week in the 90th District Court in Charlevoix County on one count controlled substance deliver/manufacture less than 50 grams, and two counts felony firearms. He was given a $2,000 bond. His next scheduled court appearance is on May 16 at 2:30 p.m.
