Bristol County District Attorney critical after man granted bail on gun charge despite being on probation, facing another pending case

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, III has announced that defendant, Jose Mendonca, was granted bail after a dangerousness hearing in the New Bedford District Court on March 16, 2026, before the Honorable Joseph P. Harrington, Jr. 

Mendonca was arraigned on Carrying a Firearm without a License, Carrying a Loaded Firearm and Possession of Ammunition without an FID card stemming from an incident on March 15, 2026, in New Bedford where the defendant was allegedly caught by New Bedford Police with a loaded firearm on his person while on the street.

At the time of this incident the defendant had a pending drug case in the New Bedford District Court for Unlawful Possession of a Class B substance and was on probation in the New Bedford District Court for a previous drug case, also Unlawful Possession of a Class B substance. 

The Commonwealth requested a dangerous hearing arguing the defendant should be held without bail as no conditions of release could protect the public and requested to have the defendant’s bail revoked on his pending drug case. The New Bedford District Court probation department also requested to have the defendant detained on his probation case.  The Court denied both of the Commonwealth’s requests, it also denied the request by probation to detain the defendant, and set bail at $2,500 along with GPS, home confinement, and other conditions.

 “This is another example of the court releasing a dangerous defendant who is caught with a loaded gun out on the street.  He is on probation for possession of drugs and in addition has a pending drug case.  There appears to be no rational basis to release this defendant who has already been warned by the court that his bail would be revoked if he committed a new offense.  These types of decisions undermine the integrity of the judicial system, and people’s confidence that they are being protected from dangerous defendants.,” District Attorney Tom Quinn said.