Four Gun Defendants Charged as Repeat Offenders

BOSTON, Feb. 11, 2014—Suffolk prosecutors this week obtained high bails at the arraignments for four repeat offenders, three of whom have previously been convicted of gun charges, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

Three defendants were arrested in separate incidents within hours of one another Friday and were arraigned yesterday in Dorchester and Roxbury District Courts. A fourth was arrested last night and arraigned today.

That fourth individual, BRANDON JESURUM (D.O.B. 8/16/85), who claimed an address on Martha’s Vineyard, was arraigned this afternoon in Dorchester District Court on his fourth charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. Assistant District Attorney Brian Brodigan recommended that he be held on $150,000 cash bail; Judge Jonathan Tynes imposed that amount.

At arraignment, prosecutors noted that Jesurum had previously been adjudicated delinquent on a 2001 gun offense and convicted twice more as an adult: once in 2004, when he received an 18-month house of correction sentence, and again in 2009, when he served a three-year prison sentence.

Members of the Boston Police Youth Violence Strike Force apprehended Jesurum last night at a Columbia Road liquor store after observing him display the characteristics of an armed gunman by clutching his waistband and blading his body away from the officers. During a pat frisk, they recovered a loaded .357 revolver from his waist.

STEVE STEPHEN (D.O.B. 4/3/90) of Dorchester was arraigned yesterday in Dorchester District Court on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm as a subsequent offense, unlawful possession of ammunition as a subsequent offense, carrying a loaded firearm, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, and being a Level III armed career criminal.  Stephen’s past convictions include 2013 convictions for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, and assault and battery on a corrections officer; separate convictions in the same year for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery; and 2010 convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and carrying a loaded firearm.

Assistant District Attorney Amanda Cascione requested that bail be set at $200,000 and conditions of release to include GPS monitoring, house arrest, and orders to stay away from two individuals who were present at the time of his arrest.  Cascione also filed a motion to revoke Stephen’s open bail in a case out of Framingham District Court charging him with procuring alcohol for a minor.  Judge Rosalind Miller set $100,000 bail and imposed the requested conditions of release.  She declined to revoke Stephen’s bail.

DAQUAN DOOLEY (D.O.B. 3/30/89) of Roxbury was arraigned yesterday on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm as a second offense, carrying a loaded firearm as a second offense, unlawful possession of ammunition as a subsequent offense, and possession with intent to distribute a class D drug.  He was convicted of prior firearm offenses in Roxbury District Court in 2008.  Assistant District Attorney Thomas Costello requested that bail be set at $75,000.  Judge Franco Gobourne imposed $5,000 bail and ordered Dooley to abide by a curfew in the event he is released on bail.

JOHN GOMES (D.O.B. 2/6/85) of Dorchester was arraigned yesterday in Roxbury District Court on charges of possession with intent to distribute a class B substance, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and cited for speeding and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.  He was also charged as a Level I career criminal based on a 2009 conviction for assault and battery.  Assistant District Attorney Joseph Roseme requested that bail be set in the amount of $30,000 and that Gomes be ordered to wear a GPS monitor and abide by a curfew in the event he is released on bail.  Gobourne set bail at $2,000.

According to prosecutors, Boston Police officers approached the vehicle in which Stephen was a front seat passenger just before 6:00 p.m. Friday as it was stopped in the area of Harvard and Walker Hill streets.  As they approached, officers observed Stephen – a known member of the Thetford Street Gang – shifting in his seat with his hands out of officers’ sight.

Officers removed Stephen from the vehicle out of concern for officer safety and immediately discovered a firearm on the seat he had just vacated, prosecutors said.  The Cobra CA-380 was found to have an obliterated serial number and was loaded with one live round in the chamber and two in the magazine.

The vehicle’s driver and rear seat passenger were also removed from the vehicle and subsequently released.

Approximately an hour later, Boston Police officers patrolling the Grove Hall area observed what they believed to be a drug transaction inside a dark Chrysler sedan the area of Wayne and Maple Streets.  Officers stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Washington Street and Walnut Park and approached to speak with the driver, front seat passenger, and the rear seat passenger who was later identified as Dooley.  The vehicle’s windows were fogged, and the driver rolled the window down only a few inches.  Dooley was visible in the rear seat, holding cash in his hands.

Using a flashlight to look inside the vehicle, officers discovered in plain view a firearm in the rear of the vehicle, protruding from underneath the driver’s seat, prosecutors said.  The Colt .32 caliber semi-automatic was found to have one live round in the chamber and eight in the magazine.

During a search of the vehicle, officers found a bottle containing 16 acetaminophen and codeine pills and a mason jar containing marijuana.

Dooley was found to have $732 in his wallet and pants pocket.

Around 10:45 that night, Boston Police officers watched a 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe speeding in the area of Columbia Road and Glendale Street Friday night and attempted to make a routine motor vehicle stop.  The driver, later identified as Gomes, initially stopped at the intersection of Glendale and Bird streets, but then drove off as officers exited the cruiser, prosecutors said.

The vehicle stopped again at Bird and Sayward streets, allowing police the approach.

Officers observed three individually packaged baggies of marijuana in plain sight on the vehicle’s console.  Gomes provided police with his driver’s license and a rental agreement for the vehicle, which was under another individual’s name and did not authorize Gomes to drive the vehicle.

As he exited the vehicle at the request of officers, a knife could be seen sticking out of his pants pocket.  He was placed under arrest.

Officers searched Gomes and discovered 28 pills believed to be oxycodone and hydrocodone in his pockets.  During an inventory of the vehicle, officers found a fully loaded Colt Cobra 38 caliber revolver inside the console, prosecutors said.

Jesurum is represented by attorney Anthony Troiano, Stephen by John MacLaughlan, Dooley by Radha Natarajan, and Gomes by Darryl Malden.  The defendants are scheduled to appear in the Suffolk County Gun Court on various dates in March and April.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.