Union County Man Who Slept With 2 Loaded Guns And Fingers On Trigger Sentenced

ELIZABETH, NJ — An Elizabeth man who fell asleep in the driver's seat of his car with music blasting and two loaded guns in his lap with fingers on both triggers, was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Monday.

Guilio Mesadieu, 35, must serve at least six years of that term before the possibility of parole under terms set down Friday by state Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield.

Elizabeth Police were called to the 600 block of Salem Avenue on a report of a disorderly group behind an apartment complex at around 1:20 a.m. on Dec. 13, 2014, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Desimone, who prosecuted the case.

When the officers arrived, they saw three cars parked in the area, with loud music coming from one of them, Desimone said.

As they approached that vehicle, they spotted Mesadieu sleeping in the driver’s seat with two guns in his lap, fingers on both triggers. The guns were found to have been loaded.

Mesadieu was arrested without incident and held on $175,000 bail.

A Union County grand jury returned an indictment against Mesadieu in April 2015, and the case proceeded to trial in December 2016. Following the three-week trial, the jury delivered a guilty verdict on a charge of second-degree certain persons not to own weapons after deliberating for approximately six hours over the course of two days.

Caulfield granted the State’s motion for an extended term under the persistent offender statute, as Mesadieu had six prior indictable convictions.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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