MASON CITY — A St. Paul Minnesota man charged with carrying weapons as a felon, possession of methamphetamine and fleeing authorities has pleaded not guilty.

Back on December 6th, the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department stopped a vehicle in the 900 block of North Adams, where a deputy saw a sawed-off shotgun in the back seat. One of the two men in the vehicle, 31-year-old Marcus Jones, fled from the scene on foot, and while exiting, a loaded .45 caliber handgun fell onto the ground.

The same deputy located Jones in the 1400 block of North Rhode Island at about 2:50 AM on December 12th. When the deputy approached, Jones again fled on foot, but was apprehended a short time later hiding inside of a garage. A search warrant for Jones’ vehicle allegedly resulted in finding a large quantity of methamphetamine and a loaded .25 caliber handgun.

Jones was charged with carrying weapons, possession of a firearm as a felon, and interference with official acts from the December 6th stop. Charges from his arrest on December 12th include possession of meth with the intent to distribute, carrying weapons, possession of a firearm as a felon, interference with official acts and failure to affix a drug tax stamp.

Jones filed a written plea of not guilty to the charges on Tuesday, with his trial scheduled to start on February 18th in Cerro Gordo County District Court.

A passenger in the car during the December 6th traffic stop, 35-year-old Carlos Cooper of Mason City, was charged with carrying weapons, possession of a firearm as a felon and third-offense possession of marijuana. Cooper is due in court for his arraignment hearing next Tuesday.