Boston man arrested on gun charge for weapon found in Wellesley field

Matthew Bradley was photographed during a previous arrest this month. Wellesley Police

A Boston man who was wearing a GPS tracking device when he was stopped for a traffic violation in front of the Wellesley police station is now facing gun possession charges after police used his GPS data to allegedly link him to a weapon found near a popular trail in town.

Matthew Bradley was arraigned in Dedham District Court on Wednesday on illegal gun and ammunition possession charges. A judge revoked his bail on an open domestic violence case and set bail in the gun case at $15,000. Bradley’s next court date is Oct. 4, 2018.

Bradley fired his attorney during the bail arguments, the Norfolk district attorney’s office said.

Bradley, 27, who told police he lives on Park Drive in Boston and is also homeless, was riding a scooter on Washington Street around midnight Sept. 4 when he made an illegal turn in front of Officer Will Griffin while both were near the police station.

At the time, Bradley was wearing a GPS ankle bracelet as ordered by a judge following his arrest by Norwood police, Wellesley Deputy Chief Scott Whittemore said. Bradley had pleaded not guilty in a domestic violence case and had been released with conditions that included wearing the bracelet and posting $2,500 cash bail, officials said.

During the traffic stop, Bradley cooperated with Griffin and provided his identification, Whittemore said. But as Griffin was heading to his cruiser to write up a warning — not a ticket — Bradley allegedly drove off, Whittemore said.

Wellesley police as a matter of policy do not chase motorcycles or scooters, Whittemore said, plus Griffin had the driver’s identification information. Griffin started digging into Bradley’s background to cite him for fleeing from police and learned about the GPS device — at about the time the gun was found.

The semiautomatic pistol was found in a bag left in Hunnewell Field near the Crosstown Trail and Wellesley High School. Police said there was no threat to the school.

The GPS records allegedly showed Bradley was in the park after he fled from Griffin and before the gun was found. Police arrested Bradley last Friday in Boston for fleeing from police and then obtained a search warrant to look at the photos on his phone, Whittemore said.

On the phone, Whittemore said, detectives found images of Bradley holding what appears to be the same gun found in Hunnewell Park.

He said DNA and fingerprint testing have yet to be completed, and that police are working with the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to track the history of the weapon.

Bradley was arrested again, this time on the gun charges.