Andrews – A convicted felon was arrested last week after police found guns and marijuana inside an automotive shop in White’s Plaza.
Walter Patrick Chapman, 42, is accused of selling drugs out of Carolina Crawlers, located behind the Subway restaurant on U.S. 19. He was released from jail on a $15,000 unsecured bond a few hours after his arrest.
“I’m aggravated that so many defendants are given unsecured bond for serious felony crimes; I’ve gotten many complaints from the community about this,” Andrews Police Chief Michael Hobgood said.
“I think they need to spend a little time in jail for serious crimes.”
Police visited the auto shop Thursday after a tipster called Andrews Town Hall and claimed the owner of Carolina Crawlers was stealing electricity and water. That claim turned out to be false, police say, but further conversation with the tipster revealed additional information about drugs inside the business.
When police arrived at the auto shop, they immediately smelled marijuana and saw a handgun lying in plain view inside the business. Officials say Chapman admitted to possessing the firearm and marijuana, then allowed police to search the property.
“We knew he was a felon before we arrived,” Hobgood said. “He admitted to the marijuana, he admitted to having the guns and he let us in. We opened up the sofa and found jars full of dope.”
During the search, police seized three rifles, a 16-gauge shotgun, a 9mm handgun, 4.4 ounces of marijuana, four pipes with drug residue in them, equipment to grow marijuana and $200 in cash.
“He had grow lights, bags of soil, fertilizer, everything,” Hobgood said, adding that Chapman was living out of the auto shop. “He had a makeshift apartment in the back of the business. It had a bedroom, bathroom and a kitchen.”
Chapman is charged with maintaining a dwelling used to sell drugs, felony marijuana possession, misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia and five counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. He was previously convicted of felony marijuana possession in September 2009.