Man arrested after deputies find stolen gun during I-65 stop

One stolen handgun was recovered from a storage compartment inside a pickup truck during a traffic stop on Interstate 65 in Bartholomew County. The firearm had been reported missing in Indianapolis.

Deputies responded to a call at 7:29 p.m. on November 2 regarding a gray Dodge Ram pickup truck driving erratically near the 74-mile marker. A caller reported that the vehicle was weaving across lanes and nearly striking a semi-truck. Officers located the truck near the 62.5-mile marker and observed the same weaving behavior. They pulled the vehicle over near the 61-mile marker.

The driver, Melvin Earls, a 58-year-old Indianapolis resident, told deputies his driver's license was suspended. Officers also detected the smell of marijuana inside the vehicle, which led to a search of the truck. During the investigation, they determined Earls was a convicted felon. The handgun found in the storage compartment was identified as stolen property.

Earls was transported to Columbus Regional Hospital for a blood draw before being moved to the Bartholomew County Jail. He now faces preliminary charges for operating while intoxicated with a prior conviction and driving while suspended with a prior conviction.

Additional charges include unlawful possession of a firearm and theft of a firearm.