By Pat Culverhouse

A Bienville Parish man is now in the Webster Parish lockup facing drug and weapon charges after his arrest Wednesday at a Minden apartment complex.

Chief of Police Jared McIver said 22-year-old Kerikimeron Ratling of Arcadia was booked on felony charges of possession of CDS Sch. I (marijuana) with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in the presence of a Controlled Dangerous Substance.

Ratling reportedly is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center under bond totaling $35,000.

MPD Officer Kendale Booker reportedly answered a call of a male with a handgun allegedly chasing another person in the Stone St. area. When the officer arrived, he reportedly saw Ratling run to the rear of an apartment and observed a door closing.

McIver said Off. Booker made contact with the suspect and noticed an overwhelming odor of unburned marijuana emitting from his person. The officer reportedly looked inside the door which he had seen the suspect standing near, and located two bags (roughly 166 grams) of suspected marijuana and a 9MM handgun.

According to the incident report, the officer interviewed a witness who allegedly observed the suspect place the items inside a closet.

This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.