Commonwealth v. Jane Doe – Taunton District Court

CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS FOR THREE-COUNTS OF IMPROPER STORAGE OF A FIREARM AGAINST REGISTERED NURSE DISMISSED AT CLERK’S HEARING.

The client is a registered nurse. She has no criminal record. She has a valid license to carry firearms. The police were dispatched to her home for a wellness check on her boyfriend. When the police entered the home, they observed three firearms, which were not stored in a securely locked container or affixed with a trigger lock. The client was charged with three-counts of Improper Storage of a Firearm (G.L. c. 140, §131L). This offense is very easy to prove. The Commonwealth need only prove that there was a working firearm that was not properly secured in either a locked container or affixed with a tamper-resistant lock or other safety device. Here, there was no doubt that the client committed the offenses charged. As a licensed nurse, any criminal offenses on her record would result in a suspension of her nursing license and termination from employment. At the clerk-magistrate’s hearing, Attorney Patrick J. Noonan persuaded the clerk to dismiss the complaints after one year, so long as the client does not get into any trouble, which shouldn’t be any trouble for this client, who is a stellar person.