Thursday, August 6, 2009

Easthampton man denies gun charges

NORTHAMPTON - An Easthampton man who allegedly had 21 unregistered guns hidden in a closet in his Chestnut Street home denied the charges Tuesday.

Jeffrey S. Parrish, 46, pleaded innocent Tuesday in Hampshire Superior Court to a charge of unlawfully possessing a large-capacity firearm and three counts of possessing a firearm without a firearms identification card.

According to court documents, on May 22, Parrish's wife went to the Public Safety Complex and told Officer Robert J. Pouska she was returning from getting a restraining order against Parrish and that she wanted a police escort to collect her belongings.

Once inside the house, she reportedly led officers to a back bedroom and showed them two large gun safes holding the weapons.

Among the weapons in the cases, officers reportedly found a .30 caliber U.S. M-1 semi-automatic carbine rifle and a Taurus 9-mm handgun, both of which are considered large-capacity firearms and carry a more severe punishment for unregistered possession.

Judge Judd J. Carhart released Parrish on his own recognizance on the conditions that he no longer possess firearms and avoid illegal drugs and submit to random screenings.

Parrish is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on Oct. 5.

- OWEN BOSS

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