Lee
A 40-year-old registered sex offender was arrested Saturday on an assortment of felony offenses, including one stemming from information that he was parked in the playground area of Royal Lane Park, where children are known to frequent.
Clinton Police Chief Anthony Davis noted that Richard Thomas Lee, of 33 Easter Lily Lane, Clinton, was taken into custody just after 5 p.m. Saturday and charged with felony possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, a felony sex offender violation and simple possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance.
Reports on the incident show the arrest came on the heels of a Clinton police officer spotting a vehicle “usually driven by Lee” parked at the Royal Lane Park playground.
Knowing that Lee is a registered sex offender, the officer followed the vehicle as it left the park and executed a traffic stop in the McDonalds Park lot on Sunset Avenue.
The officer, reports note, confirmed that Lee was the driver and, after checking his name in the police data base, discovered that he had a suspended driver’s license.
When the officer approached Lee’s vehicle, the report noted that “he could smell the strong odor of marijuana” coming from inside.
Based on that odor, the officer initiated a search, uncovering substances believed to be marijuana and Ecstasy.
Lee was arrested and taken to the Sampson County Detention Center, where he was placed under a $10,000 secured bond.
No further details on the case were available at press time.