A Jackson, Miss., man was arrested Monday morning after authorities said he was found with weapons near the Tallulah-Vicksburg Regional Airport.
The Madison Parish Sheriff’s Office said it received a call around 7:30 a.m. from airport employees reporting a man on the property carrying a weapon. The man was seen running out of a nearby cornfield.
“Delta Marshals arrived first and found a man brandishing a handgun,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “The man was confronted and immediately dropped the weapon and was taken into custody without incident.”
Sheriff’s deputies used drones to clear the cornfield, and a search was also conducted for potential victims or bodies out of an abundance of caution, but nothing was found.
The suspect, identified as Kerry C. Patterson of Jackson, was arrested and charged with trespassing and illegal carrying of a weapon.
According to the sheriff’s office, Patterson had a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol in his vehicle along with a .223 pistol. He told officers he had been trying to get to Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, missed the exit, and ended up near the airport in Mound.
Authorities said Patterson put the gun down when approached by officers and was taken into custody without incident. He was believed to be under the influence of drugs at the time.
Delta Marshals and Madison Parish deputies took him into custody.
