A man driving with a rifle and beer who was swept up in Operation Safe Shopper this past holiday season, is back behind bars.
Marvin Clay James Jr., 66, had been pulled over on the afternoon of Dec. 19 when he was driving in The Villages. The deputy discovered that James’ driver’s license had been cancelled indefinitely. He had rifle in the front seat of his car along with two boxes of ammunition. He also had a six-pack of Yuengling beer in the car with one bottle empty and one bottle partially empty. A criminal history check showed that James had been convicted in 1991 in Hillsborough County on a felony charge of larceny. He has since been convicted of other felonies.
He was arrested on two counts of possession of a weapon or ammunition by a felon and and a charge of driving while license suspended. He was also cited for open container and issued a written warning for driving an unregistered vehicle.
The special patrol that day had been part of Operation Safe Shopper. You can read more about the results of the operation HERE
James had been free on bond, but was arrested Thursday on warrants charging him with failure to appear when he skipped a court date in which he was to answer to the charges.
