LAPLACE — A brief traffic case ended poorly for a local man, as police found approximately 400 grams of marijuana during searches of the suspect’s vehicle and home, authorities said.

Jarrod McClain, 37, of LaPlace has been jailed this week in lieu of a $11,400 bond on a litany of drug-related charges, including distribution efforts in the presence of three children.

The criminal cases against McClain mounted last week, according to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, when deputies observed a Jeep Wrangler with no taillights traveling southbound in the 1000 block of Cambridge Drive at approximately 11 p.m. Thursday.

The driver, identified as McClain, sped away westbound on U.S. 61 in an attempt to flee officers, a Sheriff’s Office release said.

“McClain eventually stopped the vehicle in the 1500 block of West Airline Highway, exited it and briskly walked towards the entry of a business, where deputies made contact with him,” the release said. “Deputies detected the odor of marijuana on his person and coming from the vehicle.”

Police said McClain admitted smoking a marijuana cigarette while driving before throwing it out the window, adding McClain was detained while a K9 unit arrived to search the vehicle.

“Deputies discovered a clear jar in the back seat of the driver’s side containing 21 individual clear bags containing 88 grams of marijuana, 15 individual marijuana cigars with a total weight of 12 grams, one large marijuana cigar and 15 drug-laced cakes wrapped individually in a plastic container. Jarrod also had more than $1,000 in cash on his person,” a Sheriff’s Office release said.

Following the vehicle search, Special Operations Division detectives executed a court-ordered narcotics search at McClain’s Greenwood Drive residence.

During the search, police said they recovered approximately 10 grams of THC wax, six clear plastic bags containing approximately 68 grams of marijuana, 19 glass mason jars containing approximately 179 grams of different strands of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a Jimenez Arms 380 handgun. Detectives also recovered over $2,000 in cash.

McClain was found to be in possession of about 103 grams of marijuana during the traffic stop and about 297 grams of marijuana located in his residence. During the home search, detectives said they found McClain’s fiancée and three male juveniles, ages 15, 10, and 9, in bedrooms.

McClain, who has a previous drug law conviction, was booked Friday with possession with two counts of intent to distribute marijuana, illegal carrying of weapon with a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a concealed weapon by a convicted felon, three counts of illegal use of a controlled drug in the presence of persons under 17 and possession of distribution of drug paraphernalia.