A Rowan County Sheriff’s deputy was injured during the search of a vehicle following a house party when the driver took off in the car with the officer in the back seat.
Lt. Mike Brady’s leg was slammed in a car door after the driver, Anthony Duncan, 28, struck a tree and sideswiped a car. The door, which was open while Brady was in the back, closed on his leg.
Brady, another deputy and a Rockwell Police officer went to a home around midnight Monday in the 8400 block of Medium Drive, at the intersection of Braidon Drive, just outside of Rockwell. Someone had called in a loud party, with young adults and juveniles possibly drinking.
There were eight people in the home and officers noted the smell of marijuana wafted out of the house as soon as the door opened.
Lezaro Jesus Rivero, 23, of McDow Drive, Rock Hill, S.C., was issued a citation for simple possession of marijuana. He pulled a bag of marijuana out of his pocket, a report said.
Thomas John Moscarella, 19, of Newark Street, Linhurst, N.Y., admitted he had a little bit of marijuana. He was also issued a citation for simple possession of marijuana. Both Rivero and Moscarella had less than half an ounce of marijuana. The report said Moscarella had marijuana in a cigarette box.
Officers asked Seth Gaber, 27, of Walnut Grove Lane, Charlotte, if a backpack containing two pill bottles belonged to him. He said it did. One bottle contained marijuana and the other a prescription drug, suboxone. The backpack also had a handgun with the serial number scratched off and bullets.
Gaber was charged with carrying a concealed gun and two counts of simple possession of controlled substances for the marijuana and pills, all misdemeanors. He was also charged with possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, both felonies.
Anthony Duncan, of Carver Pond Road, Charlotte, seemed nervous, the report said.
The officers asked Duncan if they could search him. Officers found empty pill capsules inside Duncan’s hoodie. He told the officer they once contained herbal supplements. No substances were found on him, the report said.
Duncan was released and went outside to load DJ equipment inside a car. Brady was searching the car because it smelled of marijuana. The officer was in the back seat and found a handgun. While one officer issued Moscarella and Lezaro citations, Brady was in the car.
Duncan attempted to drive away. When the car crashed, Duncan jumped out and ran. A police search dog was called in to track him but was unsuccessful.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Anthony Duncan is asked to call the Salisbury Police at 704-638-5333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.