Somerset County Man Gets 11 Years In Prison After 2021 Gun, Drug Case

FRANKLIN, NJ — A Somerset man was sentenced to 11 years in New Jersey State Prison, with five years to be served without eligibility for parole, following his conviction in a 2021 gun and drug case in Franklin Township.

Kenneth D. James, 34, of Lenox Place, Somerset, was sentenced on March 31 by Judge Robert Wilson.

Previous Arrest and Conviction

The sentencing stemmed from a Feb. 9, 2021, firearm and narcotics investigation.

Detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force were conducting a quality-of-life check when they tried to stop James on Girard Avenue in Franklin Township.

James ran away after being told to stop by the police and ran to the back of another person's home, where he hid a loaded nine-millimeter semiautomatic handgun on a basement windowsill, according to authorities.

He was arrested in the backyard of the property, and a canvass of his route led to the recovery of the firearm.

A search of James' vehicle found around half a pound of marijuana and packaging materials.

On the weapons charges, Judge Wilson sentenced James to seven years in New Jersey State Prison, with five years without parole. James also received a consecutive four-year term for third-degree possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance.

James was convicted by a Somerset County jury on May 22, 2025, following a two-week trial.

Fugitive

However, James failed to appear at the end of his trial and again for his original sentencing date on Aug. 8, 2025, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He remained a fugitive for more than six months.

On Feb. 18, 2026, members of the Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force found James outside a home on Lenox Place in Somerset.

When detectives approached and tried to arrest him, James ran into the home and barricaded himself in a room on the second floor, according to authorities.

The Somerset County SWAT team found that James had escaped through an open second-story window and had gone into another nearby unoccupied home, according to authorities.

James was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary and fourth-degree resisting arrest in connection with that incident.

That case is currently pending. Read More: SWAT Stand Off, Barricade Leads To Capture Of Somerset County Fugitive

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.