One of the four young men who accused Bishop Eddie Long of sexual coercion has emerged from the shadows in the wake of an out-of-court settlement of the case.
MyFoxAtlanta TV news is reporting that Jamal Parris, 24, was arrested this week in Miami and charged with felony drug possession with intent to distribute, as well as use of a firearm while committing a felony. A police report states that the arrest occurred early Tuesday evening, after Parris was stopped by a Highway Patrol officer for driving a 2011 BMW 328i without tags. After the trooper detected "a strong and distinct odor of marijuana," Parris' car was searched and 181 grams of marijuana was found in the trunk.
In addition, Parris reportedly had $1,251 in cash, "50 small clear zip-lock bags" and a semiautomatic handgun in his possession. The trooper, Sgt. Seth Dubinsky, deemed the evidence to be "indicative of a drug dealer." Parris was arrested and charged with two felony counts and one misdemeanor. He was bonded out the same evening. His passenger, 20-year-old Jeremy Jouvanni Gordon of Miami, was arrested for possessing drug paraphernalia.
The trooper reported: "(Parris) kept telling me he bought that BMW with the settlement money" and that cops were getting the wrong impression of him. Sources close to the case said that Parris had moved to Miami to "attend Miami Dade College," where he was already registered, and had "bought a handgun in Atlanta for protection."
In late May, Parris and the three other men who had sued Long and the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church for placing them in unwelcome sexual situations when they were teens enrolled in the Longfellows Youth Academy reached an undisclosed financial settlement. When the accusations first arose in late 2010, Long had vowed to fight them with the conviction of David versus Goliath.
Read more at MyFoxAtlanta.com.
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