FROM STAFF REPORTS

An Olin man faces a felony firearms charge after Iredell County Sheriff’s Office deputies searched a vehicle and found a stolen handgun.

Sheriff Darren Campbell announced the arrest of Braydon Taylor Tench, 18, of Olin Loop, Olin, in a news release.

During a driver’s license checkpoint on June 22, deputies assigned to the ICSO Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Team searched a VW Jetta occupied by three 18-year-old males, Campbell said.

All three men were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Deputies found a handgun in the front passenger seat area of the vehicle, according to the news release.

Deputy M. Sharpe ran the serial number on the handgun and learned that the weapon had been reported stolen in Charlotte, Campbell said.

Tench, one of the occupants of the vehicle, admitted ownership of the handgun and was arrested and transported to the Iredell County Detention Center.

Tench was taken before Magistrate Holler, where he received a $2,500 secured bond on the charges of felony possession of a stolen firearm, misdemeanor carrying a concealed firearm, and the misdemeanor drug charges.

The other two occupants were issued citations for the misdemeanor drug charges.