Boston Man Sentenced for Having Loaded Illegal Gun in Taunton

TAUNTON (WBSM) — A Boston man arrested in Taunton with a loaded illegal firearm has been sentenced to state prison.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said it’s the third time in a decade that Alexander Harris, 41, has been caught with a loaded illegal gun.

Harris pled guilty to indictments charging him with carrying an illegal firearm (third offense) and unlicensed possession of a loaded firearm. He was sentenced to serve five to seven years in state prison.

Get our free mobile app

The charges stem from November 4, 2017, when a Taunton Police officer saw a white Kia Forte stuck on the top of the Cohannet Street railroad tracks at 2:45 a.m. Harris was standing next to it. According to the D.A.’s Office, Harris had accidentally driven his vehicle along the tracks, believing it was a roadway, and the vehicle became stuck.

A tow truck was called to remove the vehicle from the tracks, and per the department’s tow policy, an assisting officer began taking inventory of the items in the vehicle. Police said Harris was calm and relaxed until the officer began to open his trunk, when he then began yelling to the officer that he had no reason to go into the trunk.

Because of Harris’ agitated state, police instead finished the inventory at the towy yard, when a Hi-Point model JCP .40-caliber firearm containing a magazine loaded with nine rounds was discovered in the trunk.

Officers then apprehended Harris as he was walking down Walnut Street, and learned that at the time of his arrest, he had been convicted twice in Suffolk County for illegally possessing a firearm.

“This defendant is a repeat offender who has prior conviction for illegal firearms,” D.A. Quinn said. “He has no business possessing any firearms and is a danger to the community. He needs to be kept off the street to protect the public.”