Police searching for a stolen cell phone in a UPS employee’s personal vehicle instead found a loaded handgun and marijuana.
Cameron Mikael Jackson, 27, of 215 Indiana St. in Leesburg, was charged with possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted Florida felon and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana. He’s an employee at the UPS Customer Center at 2610 Griffin Road.
A Leesburg police officer responded to the customer center shortly after 6:30 a.m. Monday after a private security employee reported seeing an employee stealing merchandise from a UPS truck. The security guard told the officer he saw Jackson loading packages into the rear of four assigned trucks, according to the police report.
The security guard said he saw suspicious activity by Jackson in the back of one of the trucks. At 6:30 a.m., when Jackson went on break, the guard searched the rear of the truck and found a small brown open box on the shelf. Inside the box was a T-Mobile SIM card and packing slip for a cell phone that was not there. The security guard immediately notified his supervisor and called police. He said there have been multiple issues in the past with Jackson and missing packages, and that’s why private security was involved, the report said.
The officer met with Jackson, the security guard, a union representative, and a supervisor. The supervisor and security guard explained the situation to Jackson and gave him the opportunity to provide a statement. Jackson denied taking anything and gave permission to have his vehicle searched, according to the report.
Officers searched Jackson’s 2001 Dodge RAM 1500 and found a black loaded Taurus TCP PT 738 .380-caliber semi-automatic firearm containing one magazine and six rounds of ammunition in the driver’s side door. A blue backpack on the rear seat held a glass mason jar containing 8.5 grams of marijuana. Jackson has a medical marijuana card, but the marijuana in the vehicle was not in approved packaging, the report said.
A criminal history check showed Jackson has at least one felony conviction from 2017, making it illegal for him to carry a firearm. Jackson was booked at the Leesburg Police Department and taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released later Monday on $11,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on Aug. 8.
