BOSTON, Jan. 27, 2014—A repeat drug dealer was held on high bail at his arraignment today on charges that he possessed a firearm during an early-morning argument with a former romantic partner on Saturday, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

JEFF ANILUS (D.O.B. 4/19/80) of Dorchester was arraigned in Dorchester Municipal Court on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm, assault and battery, and drinking in public. Because of prior convictions for assault and battery on a public employee, carrying a dangerous weapon, and possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute, he was additionally charged as a Level III armed career criminal.

Assistant District Attorney Brian Brodigan recommended that he be held on $50,000. Judge Rosalind Miller imposed $35,000 cash bail and Brodigan’s requested order that Anilus stay away from and have no contact with the victim.

Boston Police responded to shots fired in the area of Becket Street in Dorchester just before 2:00 on Saturday morning. On arrival, officers spotted Anilus holding an open Heineken bottle and yelling at a 23-year-old woman. The woman was inside a car; Anilus was outside the car a short distance from an unoccupied Toyota Land Cruiser with its window down and motor running.

Officers separated the two parties and undertook a series of brief interviews. Based on the statements of various witnesses, they learned that Anilus and the woman were having an argument and that he had snatched the hat off of her head and thrown it into a nearby yard.

Using their flashlights, officers looked through the window of the idling Land Cruiser, which was registered to Anilus’ mother. Inside, they observed a case of Heineken in the back seat, a spent shell casing in the area behind the driver’s seat, and a Lorcin 9mm semiautomatic handgun on the center console. When seized, the handgun was found to be loaded with three rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. When asked, Anilus allegedly stated that he had no license to carry the firearm.

Conley urged victims of any crime, including domestic violence, to call 911 in an emergency. SafeLink, a statewide DV hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020. SafeLink is answered by trained advocates 24 hours a day in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601. It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages

Anilus was represented today by attorney Anne Rousseve. His next court date will be on Feb. 24 in the Suffolk County Gun Court, which fast-tracks cases of firearm possession, and senior prosecutors from the DA’s Gang Unit will review the case for potential indictment and Superior Court prosecution.

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