A 36-year-old man with a gun was arrested early Monday at the Circle K in Silver Springs.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy was working a suspicious incident call for service at the Stage Stop located at 5131 East Silver Springs Blvd. involving numerous subjects, according to an arrest report. Lorenzo Bernard Mills, who was one of the numerous subjects, made the call and advised the deputy that he had a gun for self-defense, the report stated. After the call for service ended approximately ten minutes later, the deputy was at the Circle K gas station located at 5182 East Silver Springs Blvd. and observed Mills walk into the store. Moments later, while Mills was checking out at the front counter, the deputy heard the store clerk ask, “What, you have a gun?” in a loud and frightened manner, the report stated. Mills looked down at his right pants pocked and said, “It’s right there,” in which the deputy observed a bulge in the pocket. The deputy searched Mills for weapons and located a black and silver Bersa Thunder .380 handgun, which was loaded with eight rounds with no round in the chamber. The deputy also located an additional magazine in his left pants pocket that contained seven rounds.
Mills stated he did not have a concealed weapon permit. The deputy made contact with the store clerk, who stated that Mills whispered to him “I have a gun” several times. He did not know if Mills was threatening him with the gun and did not know why he was saying that.
The deputy confirmed through teletype that Mills did not have a concealed weapon permit. Mills was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail. Mills told the deputy he wanted the store clerk to advise the deputy that Mills had a gun so he could talk to the deputy about the previous suspicious incident call for service.
Bond was set at $2,000.
