By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
An Atmore man, convicted several years ago in Mobile County of first-degree robbery, was recently arrested and charged with two weapons violations as he sat in his car outside a Pensacola, Fla. nightclub.
Pensacola Police Department reports show that Robert Mario Stark, 28, of a Liberty Street address, was taken into custody April 18 after police investigated the smell of burnt marijuana coming from a vehicle parked at The Platinum Club. According to police, the Palafox Street tavern has been a hotbed of drug use and violence, including several homicides, over the years.
A PPD officer shined a flashlight into the car and noticed a handgun in Stark’s right hand. The Atmore man tried to hide the gun by moving it to his left side, then tried to grab the weapon, which was later discovered to have eight bullets in it, when he was ordered out of the vehicle by officers.
Escambia County (Fla.) Jail records show that Stark was charged with one count each of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit (a felony) and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Police reports show that search of the car also turned up about two grams of Spice in the center console, but jail records don’t indicate any criminal charge for that violation.
Stark was released from jail the day after his arrest when total bonds of $18,000 were posted on his behalf.