City police file weapons charges

Published 12:00 am Monday, April 14, 2008

FRANKLIN-As a result of search warrants served this week, Franklin police have recovered a sawed-off shotgun and other illegal weapons and have arrested two juveniles and a convicted felon on weapons charges.

A 53-year-old city man is being held without bond at Western Tidewater Regional Jail following his arrest on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to Lt. T.W. Whitt of the Franklin Police Department.

Officers served a search warrant at an apartment in the 300 block of North College Drive on Thursday, after a &uot;domestic situation&uot; led them to believe that James Paul Morris Jr., a convicted felon, had firearms in the apartment, Whitt said.

Inside the apartment, officers found a 12-gauge shotgun and a .22-caliber rifle, along with ammunition. Morris was arrested without further incident.

Earlier in the week, a tip led police to get a search warrant for a home in the 100 block of Langston Court, where they found a sawed-off shotgun hidden.

Following an investigation, police arrested a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old resident of the home, along with a 15-year-old from Dorchester Square Apartments.

All three were charged with possession of a sawed-off shotgun and were placed in custody of the Tidewater Detention Home.