JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
The mother of a Jackson man arrested this weekend on dope charges is crying foul.
But, sheriff's deputies are sure they have their man.
27-year-old Leon Reynolds shied away from our cameras Saturday after he was apprehended by authorities.
The Hinds County Sheriff's Department Street Crimes Task Force stopped Reynolds as he drove along Interstate 55.
Authorities say he was headed for the fairgrounds to peddle the pound of marijuana they found in the car Reynolds was driving, which was on loan from his mother.
The suspect's mother, Tammy Reynolds, said, "He was not on his way to the fair. He says he was on his way to pick his girlfriend up. Then I had to ask about all the items that was in my car because if that was what he was going to do, then there is no way I would have let him drive my car."
Deputies found the marijuana in the car along with ecstasy pills and a loaded 25-caliber semi automatic pistol.
When asked about the drugs and other items in the car, the mother says it has to belong to her son because they were not in the car the morning she allowed him to use it.
Authorities say Leon Reynolds has a prior conviction in Hinds County on a felony drug possession charge. And there's more.
"He's wanted out of Beaumont, Texas for drug trafficking, pretty much the same thing, similar to what you are seeing right here. So we see a pattern," said Lt. Jeffery Scott with the Hinds County Sheriff's Department.
Lawmen say that Reynolds has had a history of run-ins with authorities. He will make his initial court appearance in Hinds County Court on Tuesday.
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