Rowan and Davie county authorities charged a Florida man known to traffic guns and drugs during a traffic stop early Thursday morning.
The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Unit, assisted by the Davie County Sheriff’s Office, conducted a traffic stop at 2:15 a.m. on Interstate 85 North at the Peeler Road off ramp. Arthur Louis Francis was driving a tractor trailer.
Authorities say Francis, 63, of Miami, has criminal history that includes armed robberies, several charges of possession of firearms by a felon and trafficking in hundreds of pounds of marijuana.
Francis gave consent to search his truck and trailer, a police statement said. During the search, officers found a box that Francis had tried to hide during the stop. Two .40-caliber handguns were found inside the box.
He was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and resisting, obstructing and delaying police.
Francis was given a $25,000 bond and remains in the Rowan County Detention Center. The truck and trailer were towed.