Convicted felon faces gun, cocaine charges; Pregnant girlfriend has info for police.

Byline: Elaine Thompson

MARLBORO - A convicted felon with a long rap sheet is facing serious drug and weapons charges after his pregnant girlfriend led police to a stash when she found the man in her apartment with another woman.

At his arraignment in Marlboro District Court yesterday, Jerald R. Walker Jr., 37, of 10 Redbud Way, Apt. 32, was ordered held until Monday, pending the outcome of a hearing to determine if his release on bail would pose a threat. He is charged with unlawful possession of firearms, two with high-capacity (three counts); improper storage of firearms (3 counts); possession of ammunition, trafficking cocaine, possession of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute cocaine (subsequent offense); assault and battery on a pregnant person, and being a habitual criminal.

Mr. Walker, who is unemployed, has served several years in prison for at least four felony convictions between 1990 and 2002, according to court records. The felony convictions were for trafficking in marijuana; possession with intent to distribute a Class A substance; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a pool cue; and unarmed robbery.

Police were called to the Redbud Way apartment about 5 a.m. Saturday by the pregnant girlfriend, who said Mr. Walker had locked her out of her apartment three hours earlier after a domestic dispute. The woman told police she had not been assaulted and only wanted assistance getting back into her apartment to use the bathroom and go to sleep. She also told authorities that her boyfriend did not like police and that he had served prison time on more than one occasion.

With the police by her side, the girlfriend telephoned Mr. Walker and asked him to speak to one of the officers. The police officer told Mr. Walker that his girlfriend had not made any criminal allegations against him and only wanted their help in getting back inside the apartment.

When they entered the apartment, Mr. Walker immediately told his girlfriend that she was to sleep on the couch and not in the bedroom. The girlfriend, however, opened the bedroom door and found a 22-year-old Natick woman. Police said the girlfriend became extremely agitated and began yelling for Mr. Walker and the other woman to get out of her apartment. They quickly gathered up some things and left, police wrote in the report.

"At this time (the pregnant girlfriend) yelled, `He's a convicted felon and he has guns and drugs in this apartment,'" police wrote. The woman then handed police ammunition from a closet and directed them to a bag that contained guns. She also turned over a small bag of marijuana that was in a bureau drawer. She also admitted to police that Mr. Walker had indeed assaulted her by punching her about the head and face and dragging her out of the apartment, the report stated.

Lt. Michael Amoros ordered the apartment secured and applied for a search warrant. The woman, however, continued to turn over items to police, including about 140 grams of cocaine. After Detective Stephan Lupien arrived with the search warrant, additional marijuana and drug paraphernalia was found in a drawer in the kitchen and in Mr. Walker's bedroom. The weapons seized were a Smith and Wesson semiautomatic that did not have a serial number, a Bersa handgun and a .38-caliber special revolver.