Dover traffic stop leads to arrest of North Carolina man

DOVER, Del. – A Greensboro man has been arrested on charges stemming from a traffic stop in Dover early Thursday morning.

At around 1:15 a.m., a trooper on patrol saw a Jeep Cherokee leave the Rodney Village Shopping Center parking lot onto POW/MIA Parkway with its headlights off. The vehicle continued driving with its headlights and failed to signal a turn, leading to a traffic stop. While talking with the driver, identified as 33-year-old Ralphon Owens, the trooper reportedly smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and saw plastic baggies containing a leafy green plant-like substance consistent with marijuana in plain view.

A subsequent search of the vehicle led police to find approximately 7 grams of suspected marijuana and a loaded .22 caliber handgun that was determined to have been stolen from Los Angeles County, California.

Owens was charged with multiple firearm, drug, and traffic related charges, and was held at SCI on a $7,003 secured bond.