Police Sniff Out Pot-Smoking Felon

Credit: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office

Atlanta police say their officers were able to follow their noses to arrest a man they believe was behind several crimes which took place in Midtown late last month.

Atlanta Proactive Enforcement Interdiction (A.P.E.X.) Units were patrolling through a parking lot on Ponce de Leon Avenue towards Monroe Drive at 10 p.m. Oct. 24 when they smelled the distinct scent of burning marijuana, a police report says. Officers then noticed a black man and woman walking North on Monroe.

The man, who was wearing dark clothing with a black hat with red coloring, and appeared to put his hand up to his mouth and blow smoke at the direction of the officers, the report says. He did a double-take, and, realizing police were watching, handed the alleged drugs off to his female companion and began walking quickly down Monroe.

As the officers approached, they noted the strong scent of marijuana emanating from the two people. the man began sprinting away into the grassy parking lot of Victory Church then bolted towards a wooded area in the back of the lot, according to the report. Police found the man tangled in branches and missing a shoe and detained him before re-tracing his route to see if he had thrown anything away.

Police discovered the man’s hat a distance away from where he was caught, and discovered a 9mm handgun hidden underneath it. The man, who identified himself as Robert Marks, admitted he had been carrying the handgun and the drugs and said he ran because he was a convicted felon, the report says.

Investigators discovered Marks had five warrants out for his arrest from police in Midtown on Oct. 24 on charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault with intent to rob, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Marks was further charged with reckless conduct, obstruction of police, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.