A Wildwood teen was arrested after ditching a backpack containing a .38 Special revolver and more than 40 grams of methamphetamine.
Ernest Bernard Cooper was spotted walking at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue at Kilgore Street which is considered a “high crime area,” according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department.
Cooper was in the parking lot of Kamal’s Mini Mart when he spotted a patrol car and began running away. As he ran, he threw a backpack into a wooded area.
The backpack contained the gun, 41.96 grams of methamphetamine and several small cellophane bags. Cooper also had $420 cash in his pocket.
He was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest, drug trafficking and possession of drug equipment. He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $29,000 bond.
