By Pat Culverhouse

An early Saturday morning stroll turned into an unsuccessful footrace and eventually the arrest of a Minden man on drug and weapon charges.

While on routine patrol, Minden PD Officer Cody James reportedly spotted 35-year-old DeMarcus D. Wills walking in the middle of Joel St. shortly before 2 a.m. When the officer attempted to question Wills, he reportedly fled.

Wills reportedly was apprehended after a brief foot chase and placed under arrest. During a search at the scene, the officer reportedly found a loaded 9MM handgun in his pants pocket.

During a secondary search at police headquarters, officers found a rolled “joint” with a green leafy substance identified as synthetic marijuana in one of the suspect’s socks. In another sock, officers found a white powder substance which tested positive as cocaine.

Wills, a resident of the 700 block of Sibley Rd., is charged with simple possession of CDS Sch. I (synthetic marijuana), possession of CDS Sch. II (cocaine), possession of a firearm by convicted felon, illegal carrying of weapon in presence of CDS, resisting an officer by flight and pedestrians on highway.

Wills reportedly is being held at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center where his bond has been set at $35,502.

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.