Southbridge Police Department responded to a disturbance call last Saturday at approximately 5:11 PM, bringing them to 43 Chapin Street, where the situation quickly escalated beyond a mere domestic quarrel when officers came into contact with a suspect who was later identified as Patrick SKINNER.
During their on-site investigation, officers were informed of possible firearms within the residence, which led to the discovery of three unsecured firearms, among them a sawed-off shotgun deemed illegal due to its shortened barrel. Not only were these weapons found, but also a safe suspected to contain more firearm-related paraphernalia and body armor improperly branded with the word "POLICE," all without any supervision or legal standing for SKINNER to possess them due to his lack of a valid License to Carry (LTC) or Firearms Identification Card (FID).
The social media post from the Southbridge Police Department shared that SKINNER's background check concluded a history of felony convictions, which by law, further prohibits him from possessing body armor; upon this discovery, officers at the scene took SKINNER into custody without delay, escorting him to police headquarters for processing.
The charges against 35-year-old Patrick SKINNER are serious: being in possession of a sawed-off shotgun, in possession of a firearm without an LTC (2 counts), and improper storage of a firearm (3 counts), he was held with a set bail of $30,000 pending his arraignment in Dudley District Court, where the weight of these offenses against public safety and legal conduct will come into full consideration by judicial authorities.
