Haw River traffic stop leads to arrests, gun with machine-gun device found

Deputies say a routine traffic stop on Keck Road in Haw River uncovered a fake license plate, a revoked driver’s license, outstanding warrants, marijuana and a loaded handgun fitted with a machine-gun conversion device.

The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office said deputies stopped the vehicle at 1:11 a.m. Friday, April 17, 2026, after noticing it displayed a fictitious plate. The driver, Jakyle Cincere Stokes, 27, of Yanceyville, could not produce a valid license and was found to have a revoked one. Deputies also learned Stokes had three outstanding warrants, including one count of communicating threats and two failure-to-appear warrants.

The sheriff’s office said the stop quickly widened into a drug and weapons case after deputies detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Stokes was charged with driving while license revoked, no financial responsibility, display of a fictitious plate, possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana paraphernalia. He was placed in a deputy’s vehicle and later transported to the Alamance County Detention Center on a $5,000 unsecured bond.

Passenger JyKwan Edzavor Daye, 23, of Burlington, was ordered out of the vehicle, and deputies said a small bag of suspected marijuana fell from his person as he exited. A search of Daye turned up a loaded handgun equipped with what deputies described as a machine-gun conversion device, turning the traffic stop into a more serious firearms arrest.

Daye was charged with felony possession of a firearm by a felon, felony possession of a weapon of mass destruction, misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon, misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. The sheriff’s office said no bond was initially set for him. Both men were taken to the Alamance County Detention Center.

The case is the kind that local deputies and Crime Stoppers officials say can start with one visible violation and end with a stack of charges. Alamance County Crime Stoppers says anonymous tips are accepted, with rewards of up to $2,500 for qualifying information, while Sheriff Terry S. Johnson, who has served since 2002, oversees the agency that handled the arrest.