North Charleston Police arrested a 61-year-old man Friday afternoon after officers discovered multiple narcotics during a vehicle search at a local park.
According to police, officers were conducting proactive patrols around 5 p.m. at Kapstone Park, located at 1240 Remount Road, following an increase in citizen complaints about drug and alcohol use, loitering, and vandalism in the area.
While patrolling the park’s parking lot, officers noticed a vehicle parked in a remote corner away from park amenities. Officers made contact with the driver, identified as 61-year-old Charles Wells Jr. of North Charleston, and a passenger.
Wells declined officers’ request to search the rest of the vehicle. Officers then requested a K-9 unit to conduct a free-air sniff around the vehicle, and the K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics.
As officers began a probable cause search, Wells told officers there was about an ounce of marijuana in the trunk. Officers located approximately 28 grams of suspected marijuana inside a clear plastic bag.
During the search, officers also found several plastic bags containing white powder residue in the driver’s door pocket and a $5 bill covered in similar residue in the driver’s sun visor. In the glove compartment, officers located a clear plastic bag with seeds inside a gum container, which appeared to be marijuana seeds.
In the passenger-side door handle compartment, officers located about 0.05 grams of an off-white rock-like substance that tested presumptive for cocaine.
Officers then detained Wells and continued the search. In the center console area, they located a broken glass smoking device commonly referred to as a “crack pipe.”
While searching the area surrounding the vehicle, officers found a digital scale with white powder residue and several plastic bags nearby. One bag contained 15.79 grams of a substance that tested presumptive for cocaine and fentanyl. A second bag contained 5.78 grams of a substance that tested presumptive for cocaine and fentanyl, and a third bag contained 5.56 grams of a substance that tested presumptive for methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Inside the driver’s door pocket, officers also located an unmarked purple capsule containing about one gram of a substance that tested presumptive for fentanyl.
Police said they also recovered more than $1,000 in cash and four cell phones from the vehicle.
Wells was arrested and charged with multiple offenses including trafficking cocaine base, trafficking fentanyl, and several counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine base, and fentanyl. Several of the charges were enhanced because the alleged activity occurred in proximity to a public park.
Wells was transported to the Al Cannon Detention Center.