New Bedford Man Arrested in Dartmouth on Gun, and Vehicle Charges

DARTMOUTH (WBSM) — A New Bedford man was arrested in Dartmouth early Tuesday on motor vehicle and firearms charges.

According to Dartmouth Police, Officer Matthew Desrosiers conducted a motor vehicle stop on State Road on August 22 at about 2:50 a.m. Desrosiers stopped the vehicle, an Infiniti, due to the vehicle coming up unregistered.

The operator of the vehicle was identified as Mark Johnson, 32, of New Bedford, whose driver’s license is currently suspended.

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Johnson was placed under arrest and a search was conducted of the vehicle, turning up a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol with a defaced serial number in the glove box, police said.

The gun was reportedly stolen out of Bridgewater, and Johnson’s license to carry a firearm in Massachusetts is currently suspended.

Courtesy Dartmouth Police

Johnson has been charged with carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, carrying a firearm without a license, improper storage of a firearm, receiving a firearm with a defaced serial number, receiving stolen property (firearm), operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and miscellaneous motor equipment violations.

“In a society currently inundated with gun violence, I am thrilled that my officer was able to take this individual, as well as the stolen firearm that he was illegally carrying off of the streets before they could be nefariously used,” Dartmouth Police Chief Brian P. Levesque said.

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