Brockton Man Sentenced for Car Break-Ins With an Illegal Firearm

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A Brockton man who broke into several vehicles in Easton before crashing his car at an Easton intersection was convicted last Tuesday in Fall River Superior Court of a litany of charges.

On April 22, 2022, James Widener, 48, broke into multiple vehicles and stole property from inside. He then fled the area at a high rate of speed after the homeowner observed the break-in.

Police say Widener drove negligently before crashing his vehicle at a nearby intersection in Easton. Inside the car, police found an illegal firearm and the items stolen, all of which were returned to the car owners.

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Widener pled guilty to multiple indictments.

The indictments charged him with two counts of breaking and entering into a vehicle, two counts of larceny under $1,200, one count of carrying an illegal firearm, one count of receiving stolen property under $1,200, one count of use of a motor vehicle without authority and one count of negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Widener was sentenced to serve four years in prison and two more years on supervised probation.

This is Widener’s second illegal gun conviction in Massachusetts.