Providence man sentenced to 8 years in state prison for possessing illegal firearm
Published on Monday, September 25, 2023
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that Providence man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve eight years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after pleading to illegally carrying a firearm and obstructing Providence Police officers during his arrest in 2022.
On September 14, 2023, Kendrick Goodridge (age 32) entered a plea of nolo contedere to one count of carrying a pistol without a license and one count of obstruction of a police officer.
Following his plea, Superior Court Justice Kristin E. Rodgers sentenced the defendant to 10 ½, with eight years to serve at the ACI, followed by a 2 ½ year suspended sentence and 10 ½ years of probation.
“So much of the gun violence in our communities is driven by the proliferation of illegal guns in the hands of those who will readily use them,” said Attorney General Neronha. “The defendant here, no stranger to law enforcement, was driving the streets of Providence with a loaded firearm without a license to do so, in a clear disregard for the laws in place that keep our residents safe. This had all of the makings of a more violent crime to come. I thank the efforts of the Providence Police Departments and commend the hard work by the prosecutors from our Office for their work on this case.”
Had the case proceeded to a trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that on May 21, 2021, members of the Providence Police Department pulled over the defendant while he was in possession a semi-automatic handgun without a license, before attempting to flee from arresting officers.
At approximately 6:41 p.m. that evening, Providence Police officers pulled over the defendant who was driving in a heavily tinted Toyota Corolla in the area of Prairie Avenue and Pearl Street in Providence. During the traffic stop, officers observed the defendant make frantic movements with his hands towards the car’s center console.
Officers searched of the vehicle and, within the center console, seized a Taurus .25 caliber PT-25 semi-automatic handgun, loaded with one round in the chamber and eight rounds in the magazine.
During the search, the defendant ran away from officers, leading Providence Police on a chase through the neighborhood, until he was eventually apprehended.
Special Assistant Attorneys General Edward G. Mullaney and Alison Bittl of the Office of the Attorney General and Officer Matthew Petteruto of the Providence Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of this case.
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