A convicted felon told deputies he had a live grenade, so they arrested him

A DeSoto County man was arrested Saturday after he told deputies he had a live grenade, the county Sheriff’s Office announced.

The county Sheriff’s Office’s Narcotics Unit pulled over Donald Reid, Jr., 49, on a traffic stop at around 1:30 a.m. Deputies then found a M67 hand grenade with the pin in place, which Reid told them was live, according a Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook post.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad safely removed and destroyed the grenade, the DeSoto Sheriff’s Office said.

Reid was charged with four counts of possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. Records show that Reid was found guilty of assault and possession of a firearm in 2017. Before that, he was convicted of sale of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, driving under the influence and multiple traffic violations, among other charges.

Reid was being held at the DeSoto County Jail.

This story was originally published August 10, 2019 at 10:28 PM.