Tiverton police seize 'ghost' gun, drugs

By Ted Hayes
Posted 2/17/23

Tiverton police have charged a Pawtucket man with possession of a 'ghost' handgun — one without serial numbers or other markings — as well as numerous other offenses, following a car stop …

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Tiverton police seize 'ghost' gun, drugs

Posted

Tiverton police have charged a Pawtucket man with possession of a 'ghost' handgun — one without serial numbers or other markings — as well as numerous other offenses, following a car stop on Stafford Road Wednesday.

Police pulled over a car driven by Evan Goff, 24, of Taunton, just after 9:30 p.m. After learning that he had an active bench warrant for failure to appear in court, he was placed under arrest and his two passengers were identified.

Police said that as they spoke to the front seat passenger, Mathew Melanson, 18, of Pawtucket, they noticed a knife in his pants pocket, another in the door next to him, and as they asked him to step out of the car "he made an abrupt movement towards his right pant leg." Officers restrained him, and he told officers he was carrying a 9mm pistol. A search revealed a handgun with no identifying marks or serial numbers, loaded with 10 rounds in a 15-round magazine. An additional search of his possessions revealed 17 oxycodone pills and two adderall pills, neither of which were prescribed to him, police said.

Melanson was charged with one felony count of carrying a pistol without a permit, felony possession of a ghost/3D printed gun, felony possession of a large capacity feeding device (gun magazine), misdemeanor possession of weapons other than firearms (two knives) and two counts of possession of a Schedule I-V controlled substance.

Goff and Melanson were transported to Tiverton police headquarters where they were processed and held overnight.  Melanson was arraigned in Second Division District Court in Newport and released on $40,000 surety bail.

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