Massachusetts state police say they arrested four motorcycle club members and an associate of the group for gun crimes. One of the men arrested is from Waterbury.
Troopers said Saturday that the arrests came Friday afternoon and evening in Brockton as members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club were in town to attend a fellow member’s memorial service.
Two men from Tennessee, one from Connecticut, another from Vermont and a club associate from Illinois were charged with weapons crimes.
After troopers arrested two men from Tennessee at the hotel where they were staying, they saw a man later identified as Matthew Ballingham, 43, of Waterbury, arrive at the hotel. Troopers determined Ballingham was an Outlaws Motorcycle Club-Connecticut member and that he was carrying a loaded 9 mm Glock handgun with a high-capacity magazine. Officials said he was not licensed to carry in either Connecticut or Massachusetts. Ballingham was placed into custody and charged with unlawful carrying of a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of a large capacity feeding device.
State troopers seized several handguns and a small amount of methamphetamine. All of them posted bail and are due in Brockton District Court next week.
