Police say marijuana found at Gastonia party business set to open

GASTONIA, N.C. — Gastonia police have charged a businessman after they said they found 27.5 pounds of marijuana during a consensual search.

Investigators told Channel 9 that $9,958 in cash was also confiscated from Party Mobsters on Linwood Road.

The business that sells and rents bounce houses and other inflatables hadn't opened yet. Signs outside promise discounts for fundraisers and churches.

Police said Joshua Steven Metz gave them permission to search the business Monday. When officers smelled marijuana, they said Metz admitted he was selling it and took them to a bathroom where the pot was stored in a cooler.

Metz's mother, Kelly Deal, was at the business Tuesday. She said her daughter-in-law owns Party Mobsters and still plans to open the store in a couple of weeks.

She asked people to withhold their judgment.

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