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Manchester Man Sent To State Prison On Gun Charges



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Contact: Beth Stone 508-584-8120

BROCKTON – A Manchester man has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to serve State Prison time after pleading guilty to charges that he illegally possessed two loaded firearms and ammunition, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced,

Late yesterday, William J. O’Brien, 20, of Manchester, pleaded guilty to two counts each of Carrying a Firearm and Carrying a Loaded Firearm, and one count each of Possession of Ammunition and Permitting Operation of a Motor Vehicle by an Unlicensed Operator. Plymouth Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Locke sentenced O’Brien to serve 2 ½ years to 2 ½ year and a day in State Prison to run concurrent, followed by two years of Probation with conditions.

At approximately 7:45 p.m. on October 11, 2020, Duxbury Police conducted a motor vehicle stop of a BMW in which O’Brien was the passenger. While inventorying the vehicle, a Duxbury Police officer identified what appeared to be a small caliber semi-automatic silver firearm with a brown wooden handle inside an open backpack that was at O’Brien’s feet. O’Brien told police that he possessed an additional firearm on his person. Duxbury Police requested O’Brien’s license to carry a firearm and were informed by O’Brien that he did not have one and O’Brien was placed under arrest. Police found the firearm inside O’Brien’s backpack to be loaded with one round in the chamber and four rounds in the magazine. The firearm found on O’Brien’s person was a six-round gray revolver with one round in the cylinder.

Assistant District Attorney Kevin O’Leary prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Duxbury Police.

July 21, 2021