By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

Jeffrey James Mack Jr.

WARSAW — An Elkhart man was arrested after a traffic stop resulted in the discovery of a stolen firearm.

Jeffrey James Mack Jr., 28, 718 Taylor St., Elkhart, is charged with theft of a firearm, a level 5 felony.

On Jan. 13, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office deputy was on patrol when he noticed a vehicle without tail lights. The deputy pulled the vehicle over and identified its driver as Mack.

According to court documents, the deputy smelled marijuana, which led to a search of Mack’s vehicle. The deputy found remnants of marijuana on the vehicle’s floor and driver’s seat. A firearm reported stolen from the Fort Wayne area was also found in Mack’s vehicle.

Mack told the deputy he purchased the firearm from a gun website and met a person to make the exchange.

The Fort Wayne Police Department investigated the theft of the firearm. During the investigation, a woman reported the gun stolen on March 22, 2022. She told officers she suspected an unnamed individual of stealing the firearm. Mack is a known associate of the individual.

Mack was previously convicted of possession of a controlled substance, carrying a handgun without a license, and resisting law enforcement in Goshen in November 2019.

Mack was arrested on the Kosciusko County case on Jan. 13.