Virginia man charged with cocaine, marijuana possession following traffic stop

Published 6:05 pm Monday, July 2, 2018

SALISBURY — A 32-year-old Virginia man was charged with drug and gun violations after he was stopped for speeding on Interstate 85.

Deputies with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office stopped his southbound vehicle Monday on I-85 because of a speeding violation. A deputy detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, a loaner car with a Virginia registration.

The driver, Darrell Alexander Laron Ford, said he was traveling from Norfolk, Virginia, to Atlanta.

A probable-cause search of the vehicle led to the seizure of a 9mm handgun, 24 grams of cocaine, 17 grams of marijuana, and $2,950 in cash, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Ford was charged with speeding 85 mph in a 70-mph zone; providing fictitious information to an officer; felony possession of a firearm by a felon; misdemeanor possession of marijuana; felony possession of cocaine; and two counts of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Ford was placed under a $10,000 secured bond and held at the Rowan County Detention Center.

Ford has an extensive criminal history in Virginia, including three felony convictions for possession of controlled substances.