In Springfield, amid the shadowed streets, Trooper Brett Bohl's routine patrol turned into an arrest when he spotted a Toyota SUV prowling with a revoked registration. According to a press release from the Massachusetts State Police, Bohl, assigned to the State Police-Springfield Barracks, was canvassing Main Street just after the witching hour on February 7, when the Toyota came into view at the junction of Main and Liberty streets.
The traffic stop that followed opened a revelation – Jonathan Santos, 28, of Springfield, was discovered unstrapped by the seatbelt's embrace, an oversight he might ponder during the downshift of night's quietude. His companion, the unnamed operator, offered their I.D. at Bohl's request. After the quick exchange, Bohl called in for a tow truck, as the vehicle lacked the marks of legitimacy, being unregistered and uninsured.
As the departure of the SUV loomed, Bohl's inventory of the vehicle uncovered a loaded 9mm Taurus pistol under the seat Santos had claimed – a space seemingly innocuous, but now charged with implication. Neither Santos nor the driver possessed the necessary paperwork to carry firearms.
Santos found himself in the uncompromising clutch of the law, spirited away to the Springfield Barracks for booking, where a bail commissioner set his freedom's price at $30,000, according to the Massachusetts State Police's statement. He stood on the precipice of arraignment at Springfield District Court on charges including possession of a firearm without an FID card, possession of ammunition without an FID card, carrying a loaded firearm, the unsecured promise of a large capacity feeding device, its improper storage, and the earlier mentioned, failure to wear a seatbelt.
