St. Helena Island man faces felony drug charges after stop in church parking lot

A 37-year-old St. Helena Island man was arrested on drug charges outside a boarded up church just before Tropical Storm Irma hit Beaufort County late Sunday night.

Napoleon Joyner was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, unlawful carrying of a firearm by a convicted felon and simple possession of marijuana, according to online Beaufort County Detention Center records. He was released on personal recognizance on Wednesday, according to online Beaufort County court documents.

Joyner and a young woman also from St. Helena Island were parked in the parking lot of the Kingdom Hall-Jehovah’s Witness church at Sea Island Parkway and Reunion Road. The church had its windows boarded up in preparation for the storm, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report. Thinking the pair’s presence there was odd, a deputy approached them.

Upon seeing a shotgun next to the driver, the deputy ordered the pair out of the the vehicle and found approximately 4 grams of cocaine, 4 grams of marijuana and one unmarked green pill in a small baggie, according to the report. The woman faces a simple possession of marijuana charge.

This story was originally published September 13, 2017 at 6:08 PM with the headline "St. Helena Island man faces felony drug charges after stop in church parking lot."