Home Crime RCSO: Hamlet man caught with sawed-off rifle, hidden handguns

RCSO: Hamlet man caught with sawed-off rifle, hidden handguns

ROCKINGHAM — A man convicted on a pair of misdemeanors earlier this year is facing weapons and drug charges following a traffic stop.

According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, investigators with the Community Impact Team conducted a traffic stop Feb. 25 on Clemmer Road for unspecified traffic violations.

While approaching the vehicle, investigators reportedly smelled marijuana and one deputy reportedly saw the barrel of a rifle sticking out from under the passenger seat.

The occupants were removed from the vehicles and investigators reportedly found a rifle of an unspecified caliber under the passenger seat and two 9mm handguns in the front passenger area.

According to the RCSO, the barrel and stock of the rifle were both cut off, making the rifle below the legally required length.

The passenger, 19-year-old Zakiem Lamar Giles, of Hamlet, was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction, three counts of carrying a concealed gun, possession of up to a half-ounce of marijuana and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

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(Note: RCSO does not mention any citations for the driver.)

Giles was booked into the Richmond County Jail where, as of March 1, he was still being held on a $25,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear in court March 9.

Online court records show Giles has a pending charge of resisting a public officer in Moore County from 2022.

Records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction show Giles was convicted Jan. 12 of misdemeanor larceny and speeding to elude arrest. He was given a 12-month suspended sentence.

All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.



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