A previously convicted felon received a three-year prison sentence based on a traffic stop conducted by CCPD Patrol officers in the summer of 2020.

On June 5th, 2020 at around 10:30 p.m., two CCPD Patrol officers riding together spotted a silver Toyota Camry with a headlight out at the 200 block of SE 8th Street. The officers conducted a traffic stop on the Camry, which turned into a driveway.

The driver opened his door as if to get out. As the officers walked up to the Camry, a man sitting in the open garage of the home told the officers he did not know who this driver was and that he did not belong at the home.

The officers made contact with the driver, Grady Irons III (B/M, DOB: 2-9-77). When the contact officer asked for Irons’ license, Irons picked up a small green Ziplock baggie containing a white substance from his gearshift and tried to conceal it between the driver’s seat and center console, all of which was observed by the cover officer from the passenger side.

The cover officer gave verbal commands to stop reaching around the vehicle, and Irons was removed from the car and handcuffed for officer safety. He was wearing black rubber gardening gloves.

A search of Irons’ vehicle located not only the baggie (which proved to be 0.7 grams of cocaine), but a fully loaded Mossberg 500 shotgun on the passenger side floorboard, pressed against the center console and previously within Irons’ reach. Nearly $3,000 was also found, mostly in $20 denominations.

It was discovered that Irons was a previously convicted felon for a long list of past charges, including robbery with a firearm (masked) and sale of cocaine. Irons was charged with possession of cocaine, as well as seven counts of possession of a weapon/ammo by a convicted felon (one count for the shotgun and one count for each of the six shotgun shells it was loaded with). He was transported to the Lee County Jail, and was released from jail three weeks later on June 27th.

In August of 2021, the officers involved were notified by the State Attorney’s Office that Grady Irons received a 36-month sentence for these crimes. He was back in custody at the Lee County Jail on August 17th, awaiting transfer to the Florida Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.