Friday, March 06, 2009

Officer James Arthur Jr Arrested for Possession of Stolen Firearm

A Vivian police officer was arrested today on charges he bought a stolen gun on the street and then sold it back to a drug dealer when he found out it was hot.

James Arthur Jr., 34, of Peach Street in Shreveport was arrested by Caddo Parish sheriff's deputies on charges of possession of a stolen firearm.

The charges involve a stolen Bushmaster XM15 assault rifle valued at $1,250.

The rifle and three others were reported stolen in Shreveport in March 2008. In November, one of the guns was recovered by local narcotics agents during a drug case.

Sheriff's Department detectives began an investigation into the stolen weapon and found that Arthur bought the gun on the street for $300, Prator said.

Afterward, Arthur got on a national crime information computer to check the weapon's history and found out it was stolen, Prator said. Instead of turning the gun in, he sold it on the street for $600 to a known drug dealer, Prator said.

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