Eric Merritt [BSO]
By Kevin Deutsch
Margate Police arrested a man for allegedly stealing a gun and concealing it in his car last week, court records show.
Eric Merritt, of 7900 SW 10th Ct. in North Lauderdale, was in a “suspicious” looking 2014 Ford Taurus parked outside 6400 Winfield Blvd. on May 27 when police approached the car, according to an arrest affidavit.
Police said Merritt immediately “made furtive movements under the [driver’s] seat” and was “removed [from the Taurus] for officer safety concerns,” the affidavit states.
Inside the car, police found a black, semi-automatic, .45 caliber Para Warthog pistol reported stolen from a Davie home during a residential burglary in 2013, records show.
The gun had been under Merritt’s car seat and within his reach, as police approached, according to the affidavit.
Merritt was charged with grand theft of a firearm and carrying a concealed firearm.
Records show he was booked into the Broward Main Jail and released on a $1,000 bond.
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Author Profile
- Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning crime journalist and author. A graduate of Florida International University, Kevin has worked on staff at The Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and The Palm Beach Post.
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