Police Find Loaded Gun in New Bedford Motel Room, Arrest Two

NEW BEDFORD - New Bedford Police find a loaded handgun and arrest two people at a Hathaway Road motel.

As the result of an investigation, Members of the New Bedford Police Department Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at the New Bedford Inn and Suites on Hathaway Road around 6:50 p.m. Thursday.

During a search of one of the rooms, police found a loaded Colt .38 revolver which had been hidden inside a knit hat above a ceiling tile. Six rounds of ammunition were found in the gun with an additional six rounds in a speed loader. The gun was not secure and did not have a trigger lock.

Police arrested the occupants of the room, 28-year-old Justin Lopes of 620 Union Street, New Bedford, and 23-year-old Tayla Croteau of 299 Mill Road, Fairhaven.

Lopes is charged with possession of a firearm without a license, improper storage of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and firearm violation after a prior conviction.

In July of 2011, Lopes was convicted of carrying a firearm with ammunition and possessing a firearm without a permit. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Croteau was charged with possession of a firearm without a license, improper storage of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlicensed opeartion of a motor vehicle.