Convicted Felon Arrested On Drug, Gun Charges: Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — A West Haven man was arrested on drug and gun charges after an attempted traffic stop in Meriden, according to police.

Meriden police said the arrest stems from a targeted enforcement effort the department was conducting in the area of the Meriden Green on Oct. 29 to address complaints of “quality-of-life issues and narcotics activity” in the area.

The enforcement effort resulted in the issuance of multiple infraction tickets, along with multiple arrests, according to police.

Police said the issues ranged from pedestrian and motor vehicle violations to narcotics activity.

During the investigation, police said officers and detectives tried to conduct a traffic stop where the driver attempted to elude police.

The driver, identified as 37-year-old Sherrod Franklin of West Haven, was apprehended and found to be in possession of narcotics and sale qualities of marijuana, according to police.

Police said further investigation led to a search warrant being obtained for his home, where authorities found a “handgun, a high-capacity magazine, and sale quantities of narcotics and marijuana.”

Officers and detectives also found a 10-year-old child who was left unsupervised in the apartment, according to police.

Police said Franklin is a convicted felon and is ineligible to possess firearms.

Franklin was arrested and charged with possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, operating a drug factory, use of drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of firearm, possession of high-capacity magazine, interfering with an officer, possession with intent to sell non-narcotic substance, risk of injury to a minor, failure to signal, and disobeying the signal of an officer.

He was being held in lieu of a $400,000 bond with a court date of Nov. 19, according to state judicial records.