Dartmouth Police arrest man at a town business on several gun charges after disturbance

DARTMOUTH, MA — According to police, on Saturday, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Dartmouth Police responded to a domestic disturbance at the Dartmouth Motor Inn (DMI) located at 571 State Road in Dartmouth.

Upon arrival, officers detained Nathan Faria, a 34-year-old man from New Bedford, in connection with the disturbance. Further investigation revealed his involvement in a prior domestic violence incident in New Bedford, leading to his custody. Subsequently, Dartmouth Police received credible information indicating that Faria had multiple firearms and ammunition in his 2023 Toyota Tundra pickup truck.Detective Derek Sousa, assigned to the Dartmouth Police Department’s Special Operations Division, obtained a search warrant for Faria’s vehicle. The search uncovered a Sig Sauer M400 AR-15 assault rifle, a VR80 12-gauge shotgun, six fully loaded 30-round AR-15 magazines, five empty 30-round AR-15 magazines, four 10-round 12-gauge shotgun magazines, two 5-round 12-gauge shotgun magazines, a silencer, and thousands of rounds of assorted .556 caliber, 12-gauge, 9mm, and .45 caliber ammunition.

Faria does not hold a valid firearms license in Massachusetts or any other state.

Faria faces multiple charges from the New Bedford Police Department related to the domestic violence incident and the following charges from Dartmouth Police:

• Two counts of carrying a firearm without a license
• Possessing a silencer
• Possessing ammunition without an FID card
• Fifteen counts of possessing a large-capacity feeding device
• Violating an abuse prevention order

The Dartmouth Police Department expressed gratitude to the New Bedford Police Department for their collaboration in the investigation. Chief Brian P. Levesque stated, “The safety of our community is our top priority, and we are dedicated to thoroughly investigating all reports of domestic violence and illegal firearms possession. The prompt recovery of these weapons has prevented further harm and sends a clear message that we will not tolerate such threats in our community.”