Convicted felon arrested and released multiple times is arrested again on new gun charges

Published 5:41 pm Thursday, May 25, 2023

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NATCHEZ — A Natchez man has been arrested — again — after a search of family property the man has access to turned up illegal weapons Thursday morning.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Group executed a search warrant at 13 Edna Rose Lane, which was not occupied at the time.

During that search, deputies located a loaded American Tactical short barrel rifle, a loaded Smith and Wesson Shield 9 mm, a loaded Ruger SP101 357 magnum pistol, and a stolen Glock model 34 9 mm that had been altered so the pistol would shoot fully automatic.

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“My deputies have been investigating Charles Buchanan for several months regarding illegal drug activity and his involvement with weapons,” said Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten.

Despite the fact Buchanan was released on bond and ordered to wear an ankle monitor following an April 13 arrest and charges for felon in possession of a firearm, trafficking of a schedule II drug and possession of drug paraphernalia, ankle monitor activity showed he had been frequenting the Edna Rose Lane property.

Patten said Buchanan is a convicted felon. Buchanan was convicted of robbery in 2011 and was convicted as a sex offender in 2012.

Patten said Buchanan was indicted by an Adams County Grand Jury on Oct. 19, 2022, on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On Jan. 5 of this year, deputies arrested Buchanan at his residence, 203 N. Concord Ave. and found him in possession of 15 Alprazolam tablets. At that time, Buchanan was arrested on the grand jury indictment and also charged with misdemeanor possession of a schedule IV drug.

On April 13, deputies executed a search warrant at 203 N. Concord, seeking guns and illegal drugs. During that search, deputies located a silencer for a .45 semi-auto pistol, ammunition for different caliber guns, a revolver, 100 dosage units of hydrocodone and body armor.

Buchanan was not at home at the time, but deputies obtained warrants for felon in possession of a firearm, trafficking of a schedule II drug and possession of drug paraphernalia. Patten said Buchanan turned himself in to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and was released on bond with an ankle monitor.

The sheriff said Buchanan now has been arrested for felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen weapon after Thursday’s search of the Edna Rose Lane property he has been frequenting.

“There is no state statute for having the ‘switch’ that makes the Glock an automatic, but I will make sure the ATF is made aware of the arrest and will present the case to them for prosecution at their next Project Safe Neighborhood meeting,” Patten said.

He said all the weapons seized by his department are submitted to the Mississippi Crime Lab for comparison to any other crimes.