Suffield Teen Charged With Possessing Illegal Weapon

A local teenager turned himself in to Suffield police Thursday after learning of a warrant for his arrest on charges of possessing an illegal sawed-off shotgun.

James Brendan Fleming, 19, of 761 East Street North, was released on a court-set written promise to appear. He will be arraigned in Enfield Superior Court on Oct. 23.

On June 9, Suffield police investigated an incident at a residence on Phelps Road, where officers discovered a large group of people at a social gathering on the premises. Further investigation produced a 12-gauge shotgun which had its barrel sawed off, making it less than 18 inches in length - the minimum required by law, Capt. Craig Huntley said.

Police determined that Fleming had brought the shotgun to the gathering, and that he and others decided that night to cut off the shotgun’s barrel. The shotgun was seized as evidence and was subsequently test-fired, finding it to be fully capable of discharging ammunition, Huntley said.