FALL RIVER A 31-year-old man arrested after Fall River police said they found a rifle and 95 rounds of ammunition during a traffic stop pleaded not guilty Tuesday, Oct. 27, in Fall River District Court and is being held without bail pending a detention hearing Thursday, Oct. 29, the Fall River Reporter reported.
Jeffrey Clark faces charges of improper storage of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license and possessing ammunition without a firearm identification card, police said. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The stop
Detectives from the department's Community Action and Suppression Team stopped a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe on Monday, Oct. 26, as part of an ongoing firearm investigation, the department said in a release published by the Fall River Reporter. WJAR also reported the department's account.
Clark was found with a Remington 700 .308-caliber rifle, 35 live rounds of .308-caliber ammunition and 60 live rounds of .223-caliber ammunition, "including enhanced penetration and tracer rounds," according to the department. Police said he does not hold a Massachusetts license to carry or a firearm identification card.
How pretrial detention works
The state's dangerousness law, Chapter 276, Section 58A of the General Laws, lists carrying a firearm without a license among the charges for which prosecutors may ask a judge to hold a person before trial as a danger to others or the community. The hearing is held at the person's first appearance in court unless either side asks for more time, and except for good cause, a continuance on the prosecution's motion may not exceed three business days. The person is held during that continuance if there was probable cause for the arrest.
To order someone held, the judge must find by clear and convincing evidence that no conditions of release will reasonably assure the safety of any other person or the community, the law says.
What the charges carry
Under state law, knowingly having a rifle or shotgun in a vehicle without a license to carry or a firearm identification card, unless the person is at home or at their place of business or another exemption applies, is punishable by 2 1/2 to five years in state prison or 18 months to 2 1/2 years in a jail or house of correction. The sentence may not be reduced below 18 months or suspended, under Chapter 269, Section 10(a), of the General Laws.
Having ammunition without meeting the state's firearm identification card requirements carries up to two years in a jail or house of correction or a fine of up to $500 for a first offense, under Section 10(h)(1).
The state's safe storage law, Chapter 140, Section 131L, requires a firearm that is not being carried or controlled by its owner or another lawful user to be kept in a locked container or fitted with a working safety lock. For a gun that is not a large capacity weapon or machine gun, a violation carries a fine of $1,000 to $7,500, imprisonment for up to 1 1/2 years, or both.
What comes next
South Coast 360 will update this story with the result of Thursday's hearing. The department asks anyone with information about illegal firearms in Fall River to call its tip line at 508-672-TIPS (8477). For how a criminal case moves from a charge to a court date, see our explainer.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The arraignment, the plea and the hold without bail pending a Thursday detention hearing come from the Fall River Reporter's updated report of Oct. 27, credited to the outlet until we read the court record. The stop, the items found, the charges, the license status and the tip line come from the Fall River Police Department's release as the Fall River Reporter published it Oct. 27, and the department's account as WJAR reported it the same morning. The detention law and penalties come from the General Laws, read Oct. 27 and 28. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. When South Coast 360 asked the Fall River District Court clerk-magistrate's office on Oct. 27, it said at 1:02 p.m. that Clark had not yet been arraigned. The Fall River Reporter's update that evening reported the arraignment. Not heard: the Bristol County District Attorney's office, asked Oct. 27 for the court record.
Corrections
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Sources (5)
- Fall River Reporter, "Fall River Police make arrest after seizing firearm, enhanced penetration ammunition" (Oct. 27, 2026, updated)The Fall River Police Department's release (the Monday stop, the vehicle, the rifle and ammunition, no license or FID card, the three charges, the tip line) and, in the update, the Tuesday arraignment in Fall River District Court, the not guilty plea and the hold without bail pending a Thursday detention hearing. Posted Oct. 27, 2026, 9:08 a.m., updated 5:31 p.m. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
- WJAR, "Fall River police arrest man on firearm charges following traffic stop" (Oct. 27, 2026)"The department says" it stopped the Tahoe in an ongoing firearm investigation; the name, age and items. Posted Oct. 27, 2026, 8:22 a.m. Read Oct. 27, 2026.
- Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 276, Section 58APretrial detention on dangerousness: the listed offenses, including section 10(a) of chapter 269, the hearing at first appearance, continuances and the clear and convincing standard. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
- Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 269, Section 10Subsection (a), carrying a firearm, rifle or shotgun without a license, and (h)(1), ammunition without meeting the FID requirements. Read Oct. 27, 2026.
- Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 140, Section 131LSafe storage of firearms and its penalties. Read Oct. 27, 2026.