A 33-year-old Gwinnett County man was arrested March 14 after police say he left a backpack holding a gun in a parking lot near a reported teen takeover.
What happened: Gwinnett County police were working a detail after reports of a possible teen takeover. Officers spotted a man in a ski mask walking away from the building where the event was reported. Police aircraft followed him to a nearby parking lot, where he set the backpack down and walked away. He then put an electric bike in a friend’s car and left.
What was found: Officers picked up the backpack. Inside was a firearm.
The arrest: Officers pulled over the vehicle. James Prayer was in the passenger seat. Prayer told officers he did not understand how he could face charges since the gun was not on him, and that he did not think police had the authority to charge him.
Between the lines: An adult took advantage of a known teen-takeover in what appears to have been an attempt to dispose of a weapon, showing another issue law enforcement has with teen takeovers, they provide an opportunity for adults to take advantage of the events for nefarious purposes.
What the law says: Under federal and Georgia law, people convicted of a felony are not allowed to own or possess a firearm. Leaving a gun behind does not erase a possession charge if police can tie the person to it. Prayer is a convicted felon.
The path forward: Prayer faces a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. No court date has been made public.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
