TEXARKANA, Texas - A charge of money laundering has been levied against the subject of a suspicious person call regarding a man with a large bulge in the front of his pants.
Micholas Bryant, 20, was allegedly walking through the lobby toward the exit of Red Lobster in Texarkana, Texas, when police arrived Aug. 30, according to a probable cause affidavit. Officers dispatched to the restaurant noted that the man, later identified as Bryant, was allegedly holding the bulge when officers approached and asked what was in his pants.
Bryant allegedly told the officers "it was money" and slightly raised the blue hoodie he was wearing, revealing a black semi-automatic pistol tucked into his waistband. An officer grabbed the weapon and Bryant was cuffed and taken outside.
Bryant allegedly told the officers he had between $40,000 and $50,000 in a bag in his pants. When asked, Bryant allegedly told the officers he did not have any banking receipts for the money.
Bryant allegedly lied about his name and allegedly claimed he didn't know where the money came from or to whom it belonged. The money from the bag allegedly stuffed in the front of Bryant's pants and additional currency found in his pockets came to $49,911.21.
After officers determined his name, they allegedly discovered he was wanted in Kansas for possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
Officers determined a Cadillac SUV parked at the restaurant was Bryant's and noted it smelled strongly of marijuana. A wooden box labeled "Mick" and containing 3.5 grams of marijuana was allegedly found in the glove compartment. Powdered THC and THC edibles were allegedly found in the trunk.
Paperwork allegedly showing Bryant had been arrested July 2 in Kansas for possession of marijuana and a firearm was allegedly found in the car along with a receipt from a Gucci store in Dallas showing the purchase of a hat and a pair of flip flops for $1,125. Officers allegedly found evidence in the panels of the SUV that the Cadillac had been used to transport a large quantity of marijuana.
Officers acquired a search warrant for Bryant's phone. Dozens of photos on the device allegedly showed Bryant in possession of pounds of cocaine, weapons and U.S. currency.
"The photographs of the pounds of cocaine and currency were taken on Aug. 29, just one day before his arrest," the affidavit states. "Also located on Bryant's phone were vidoes of him unpacking a pound of cocaine and weighing the suspected cocaine on a digital scale, confirming that the cocaine in one package weighs just a little more than one pound."
Bryant has been charged with money laundering. Bail on that charge is set at $100,000.
He is also charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon on premises where alcohol is served, failure to identify, possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. Bail on all the charges totals $121,000.
Bryant is currently being held in the Bowie County jail.