What started as a traffic stop in Hattiesburg last week turned into five former Laurel High standout athletes facing felony charges after police found three firearms and more than a pound of marijuana, according to reports.
Brandon Gordon, 23, Quandarius McCarty, 21 and Jalon Thigpen, 23, were all charged with trafficking a controlled substance with an enhancement for possession of a weapon at the time of the arrest and booked into the Forrest County Jail. Jevah Jones, 24 and Paul Page, 24, were both charged with trafficking a controlled substance.
The charges stem from a traffic stop on Interstate 59 at mile-marker 67 on Thursday, said Ryan Moore, spokesman for the Hattiesburg Police Department. Police recovered more than 600 grams (1.3 pounds) of marijuana and three handguns. No other details were available.
Only Gordon and Thigpen remained in jail on Monday morning, and the jail website shows that their bonds were set at $80,000 each.
Thigpen and Jones were standout football players for Laurel High and both were college athletes. After two seasons at Southwest Mississippi Community College, Thigpen played one season at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In 2019, he tied for second on the team with 64 tackles He also recorded 3 1/2 tackles for loss, had an interception, seven pass breakups and forced one fumble.
Jones was listed as a basketball player at Southeastern Baptist, but statistics showed he played in only one game.
Gordon began his career at South Jones High School before transferring to Laurel High.
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