East Longmeadow man arrested during traffic stop in Ware on firearm, drug charges
WARE, Mass. (WWLP) – A man from East Longmeadow has been arrested on various charges, including operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and possession of drugs, after a traffic stop in Ware on Thursday.
In a news release from the Ware Police Department, 33-year-old Geoffrey Ralls was arrested after officers conducted a traffic stop and an inventory search inside the vehicle revealed a firearm, ammunition, and a variety of narcotics.
Ware man sentenced to state prison for rape and assault
Ralls is being held on $9,000 bail for the following charges:
Operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license
Possession of Class E drugs
Possession with intent to distribute Class B (cocaine) drugs
Carry without a license loaded firearm
Firearm violation with three prior violent crimes (firearm, unlawful carry)
Firearm violation with three prior violent crimes (ammo, poss. without FID)
On Friday, Ralls is scheduled to be arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Underage drinking dangers during graduation season
LONGMEADOW, Mass. (WWLP) – It's graduation season for colleges and high schools, and that normally means graduation parties. Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield While they are a celebration, they can also be dangerous when it comes to underage drinking. The Longmeadow Close Community Coalition has placed lawn signs around the high school to remind students and parents of the dangers of underage drinking. The coalition of Longmeadow for a drug-free community, or the close community, has placed lawn signs around the town, hoping to remind parents and teenagers of underage drinking. Ananda Lennox, Director of Close Community Coalition, told 22News, 'Across the nation, there is always a handful or sometimes more of teen deaths that happen around prom and graduation season. And it almost always inevitably involves alcohol and getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.' Aside from the dangers of drinking and driving, there is also a law in place in 32 states, including Massachusetts, that holds a social host liable if something happens. James Winston, a Northampton Attorney, adds, 'It can be an adult or a minor who is in control of the premises who either furnishes directly or allows alcohol to be consumed on the premises.' But premises doesn't just mean a house or apartment, it can include a hotel room, a rented room in a restaurant, or a boat. Social hosts can face civil and or criminal charges. 'The consequences can be quite dire both civilly, where we see judgments for millions of dollars, and criminally, where up to a year in prison, pay a $2,000 fine, or both,' Winston adds. The coalition also has other initiatives year-round to help educate parents and others in the community, including the 'Safe Homes Network.' Lennox added, 'Parents can sign up for it, and they are just all in agreement that they are not going to allow underage drinking in their homes. If you know your kid is going to a party or get-together, you can look up a name and be like, 'Oh, that family signed the pledge, they are on the same side as I, so I can relax and not worry about them going off to socialize there.' Lennox said they also work to empower parents to make decisions if their child is not listening, such as not paying for their child's car insurance if they are not following their rules. Winston also said that parents or other social hosts shouldn't assume that if someone is involved in an accident under the social host, the homeowner's insurance will cover it. He said many homeowners' insurance policies won't cover it, as drinking under age is a criminal act. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mass. man pleads guilty to gun, drug, and machinegun conversion device trafficking
BOSTON (WWLP) – A Lowell man has pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking firearms, distributing thousands of methamphetamine pills disguised as Adderall, and selling illegal machinegun conversion devices known as 'switches.' Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield Billy Chan, 20, pleaded guilty last Friday to four federal charges: Engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine Distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine Transfer and possession of a machinegun. Federal prosecutors said that between March and June 2023, Chan conducted five illegal sales to undercover law enforcement officers in Lowell. The transactions included three handguns, four machinegun conversion devices, and about 2,000 counterfeit pills made to resemble Adderall. Laboratory analysis confirmed the pills were homemade methamphetamine laced with caffeine. Chan allegedly worked with a co-conspirator affiliated with the Asian Boyz gang, a group that investigators say had a significant role in distributing methamphetamine pills throughout the Merrimack Valley region during 2023. The pills were widely marketed as Adderall, a prescription stimulant, but were illicitly manufactured and contained no pharmaceutical-grade ingredients. Authorities also documented a meeting in which Chan described manufacturing the machinegun conversion devices himself while working at a machine shop. He reportedly gave a cooperating source a demonstration on how to install the 'switches' and later sent a video showing a fully automatic pistol being fired into the air, writing in a message, 'I let my boys test the switch.' The case is being prosecuted as part of , a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at reducing gun violence and violent crime by enhancing coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement and community organizations. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Arrive Alive Tour shows local students the consequences of impaired driving
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Students in the area are learning the consequences of impaired driving. Police say no one should ever drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Chicopee students got to experience a simulation of what could happen if they do just that. Daily, across the country, more than 30 people die in crashes related to drunk driving. That's one person every 42 minutes. At Chicopee Comprehensive High School, dozens of students got to try a virtual experience showing the consequences of driving distracted or under the influence. Springfield man charged with DUI, wrong-way driving in Enfield 'We have sensors on the gas pedal brakes and steering wheel,' said Arrive Alive Tour event coordinator Jalen Burress. 'They'll feel like a delayed reaction from the steering and brakes because it's trying to simulate drivers that are impaired or distracted and are going to react slower to what's on the road.' By putting on a set of special VR glasses, students got to see what it was like to drive under the influence, feeling distracted and in danger on the roads. Experts say if you feel different, you drive different. Organizers used the opportunity to educate students and bring awareness to the issue. 'It definitely feels like you should never do it, because if you actually get in a car accident you can severely hurt yourself and other people, and you would never want that to happen,' said student Griffin Stefanik. 'I experienced that, I went way over the speed limit and I didn't mean to,' said student Emily Flurry. 'It was hard to control it, like the steering wheel, and still not hit anything and stay on the right side of the road.' Chicopee police and the Arrive Alive Tour plan to speak to more high schoolers on Wednesday and Thursday about the dangers of driving distracted and under the influence. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
