EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – Evansville Police say one man is facing charges after an incident early Saturday evening.
Just before 6:00 p.m. Saturday, authorities say they were watching a man along Judson Street, who had an AR-15 style rifle magazine sticking out of his pants.
That man, later identified as Ellis Barnes III, saw police and immediately changed direction and walked inside a nearby gas station.
Barnes was inside for a short time and officers say they watched Ellis take his backpack off inside the store before walking out of the store and placing it near a gas pump, abandoning it.
Officers could tell he still had the rifle on him due to the imprint under his shirt and that he was holding it on the outside of his shirt to ensure it would not fall out.
Officers went to the station and found the backpack Barnes had abandoned. They discovered a large bag containing a green/brown leafy substance that officers believed to be marijuana.
Inside the bag, officers also discovered a large quantity of small baggies as well and rifle parts and green tip 5.56 mm rounds.
Officers say Ellis saw police pick the bag up and started to go after him. Ellis then took off running from police and officers lost sight of him near the 300 block of Sweetser.
Officers set up a perimeter as well as utilized a K-9 and drone unit in an effort to locate Ellis, but could not find him then.
Police went back to the gas station and looked at security video. There, they were able to positively ID Barnes by using the video evidence, as well as the birth certificate and an Indiana ID card that was left in the bag.
Once Ellis was positively identified, officers were able to go to his listed address where he was taken into custody without incident.
The leafy substance in the backpack tested positive for marijuana. In the surveillance video, officers observed Ellis with a large quantity of cash.
By having a large quantity of cash, large quantity of suspected marijuana and a large quantity of small individual bags, officers believe that Ellis is dealing marijuana.
Ellis was booked in the Vanderburgh County Jail Saturday on charges of having a controlled substance – dealing in marijuana. He has since been released.
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