Man found with marijuana, loaded gun near Garfield Elementary

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Cedar Rapids man was found with drugs and a loaded handgun near an elementary school Monday evening.

According to Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman Greg Buelow, officers were called to a parking lot that connects to the Garfield Elementary School grounds around 6:09 p.m. Monday for a report of a vehicle possibly containing occupants smoking marijuana. When police arrived, they were directed to to a car parked north of the school, Buelow said.

Police said they found 21-year-old Darnell M. Henderson sitting behind the wheel of the still-running vehicle. The vehicle smelled like marijuana, and Henderson had cash on his lap, police said. A K-9 officer called to the scene also alerted to the presence of drugs in the vehicle.

Police said they found a container holding five small bags containing marijuana and a loaded handgun within Henderson's reach in the vehicle. He was arrested and faces charges of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, carrying weapons and distributing near a school.

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