It didn’t take long for one of the young men to do something foolish with his settlement money. Bishop Eddie Long accuser, Jamal Parris, 24, was arrested yesterday in Miami on drug and weapons charges. Parris, the one who gave the empassioned television interview about the sexual and emotional buse at the hands of Bishop Long, was pulled over after an officer spotted him operating his vehicle, a 2011 white BMW, with no tags. Upon searching the vehicle, the officer, Sgt. Seth Dubinsky, allegedly found 181 grams of marijuana, 50 plastic baggies and a Taurus semiautomatic handgun. Parris was also reportedly carrying $1250 in cash.
According to ajc.com, the officer stated the gear was “indicative of a drug dealer,” and he was jailed and charged with two felony counts: possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm while committing a felony. He was also charged with operating a motor vehicle with no registration, which is a misdemeanor.
The website also states that Parris immediately demanded a lawyer, according to the officer, and kept telling him that he bought that BMW with the settlement money and that he’d been admitted to Miami-Dade College. He also reportedly said, “you guys are getting the wrong impression of me.’”
It’s an interesting turn in a situation that has been a mystery to many, being that the case was settled quietly through mediation. The fact that crime seems to follow these young men (two of the other accusers were arrested for robbing Long’s office prior to the abuse charge becoming public knowledge) seems to lend an air of suspicion to the to their claims. It doesn’t necessarily exonerate Bishop Long, since he helped the court of public opinion find him guilty by settling with no trial, but it certainly makes you wonder if there was crafty collaboration behind the scenes that led to the allegations that rocked New Birth and the religious world at large.
