Gun hidden under mask and drugs tossed near stream put Bradenton duo behind bars
An improper right-hand turn landed a Bradenton pair in jail on drug charges Wednesday.
When 26-year-old Keith McCarty failed to make a proper right-hand turn at the intersection of 17th Street and North Washington Avenue around 6:30 p.m., Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies pulled his four-door Pontiac over and made the driver and his two passengers leave the car.
Underneath a gold mask on the car’s floorboard, a deputy saw the handle of what turned out to be a stolen Smith and Wesson .38 caliber gun inside a black holster, according to the probable cause affidavit. It had four live rounds and one empty round in it.
While the deputy was in his car, he saw one of the passengers, 46-year-old Patricia Aurandt, walk to a drainage stream on the side of the road. Another deputy found an orange pill bottle with 0.4 grams of meth and two pills of Clonazepam where she had been standing, according to the affidavit.
When the driver and passengers were read their Miranda rights, Aurandt told deputies she had found the pill bottle in the backseat and put it in her pocket 20 minutes before they were pulled over.
After she was placed under arrest, deputies found a .22 live round in her front pocket. According to the affidavit, Aurandt told deputies she had found it on the ground.
A further search of the car uncovered Alprazolam pills, 1.2 grams of marijuana, used and new baggies, syringes, two meth pipes and a loaded syringe with unknown dark liquid.
McCarty faces charges of possession of a controlled substance, unlicensed carrying of a concealed firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia and of marijuana under 20 grams. Aurandt will face two charges of possession of a controlled substance and one charge of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.
The other passenger was not arrested, according to the affidavit.
Hannah Morse: 941-745-7055, @mannahhorse
This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Gun hidden under mask and drugs tossed near stream put Bradenton duo behind bars."