A 23-year-old Kinston man is being held without bond following complaints from concerned residents that led to a traffic stop and felony charges.

On Wednesday, detectives with the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office SCARR unit conducted an investigation into Brandon Tripp of the 3700 block of Ferrell Road. The investigation was conducted following complaints from county residents.

A traffic stop was conducted on Tripp, a convicted felon. During the traffic stop, he was found to have a firearm and drug paraphernalia in his vehicle.

Upon his arrest, a search warrant was obtained for his Ferrell Road residence; the warrant was executed with the assistance of the Kinston Police Department’s VCAT unit and North Carolina Probation and Parole.

Tripp was charged by the LCSO with felony possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also charged by N.C. Probation and Parole with a parole violation. He received a secured bond for the firearm and drug paraphernalia charges, but no bond for the parole violation.

“I thank the residents of Lenoir County for their continued partnership in helping to reduce criminal activity in our county,” Lenoir County Sheriff Jackie Rogers said. “Their assistance is valuable in our effort to ‘Restore Lenoir’.”