BLANCHESTER — Late Friday night Blanchester police were called to the 900 block of Bourbon Street after “an alert citizen noticed a prowler in the neighborhood, according to Police Chief Scott Reinbolt.

He said officers arrived in the area and found a car in the driveway of a vacant home in the neighborhood, and the car was occupied by a man and a woman. Reinbolt said the man was identified as Faris Parker, 34, who provided his address as “homeless.”

“Both stated that they ran out of gas and were going door-to-door seeking assistance,” Reinbolt said.

“One of the responding officers, Ptl. Ian Courtney, knew that the police department held a warrant for Parker’s arrest for failure to appear in court as ordered in an aggravated menacing case, and he therefore placed Parker under arrest,” Reinbolt said. “When he searched Parker, he found a knife stuck in his waistband and two hypodermic needles in his pockets.

“A check of the statewide police database revealed additional arrest warrants for Parker from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office for aggravated possession of drugs and from the Greenfield Police Department for violation of a court order.”

Reinbolt added that Parker “is a convicted felon who is currently on parole.”

Parker asked Ptl. Courtney to throw the hypodermic needles away and asked that he release him so that he could turn himself in later, offering to allow Courtney to follow him around until that time, Reinbolt said.

“Ptl. Courtney rejected those pleas and charged Parker with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of drug abuse instruments.”

He was taken to the Clinton County Jail.