A Pennsylvania man faced a judge Thursday after he allegedly tried bringing a gun and nearly 100 rounds of ammunition into a Boston homeless shelter.
Robert Goodson, 23, of Etna, was ordered to be held on $50,000 bail during his arraignment.
Goodson was arrested Wednesday for firearm-related charges, according to Boston police.
In court, his attorney said Goodson was a law-abiding citizen who didn't have a criminal record, and had locked the gun and removed ammunition from it when he put it in a South Station locker.
Goodson had come to Boston to look for work and wasn't looking for trouble, his attorney said.
Officials at the St. Francis House on Boylston Street called police at about noon Tuesday to report that a man tried entering the shelter with a loaded firearm in his waistband, as well as several magazines and a box of ammunition in his bag.
The man had a Pennsylvania License to Carry ID that shelter security officer inspected and photographed. He told the man, identified as Goodson, that firearms were not allowed inside the facility.
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Shelter officials said Goodson left and said he would be back later.
An investigation by Boston police showed that Goodson did not have a valid firearms license after it had been revoked last week.
On Wednesday morning, police were advised that Goodson returned to the shelter without the gun or ammunition. After an investigation, police located his bag at a storage desk at the South Station Bus Terminal.
Inside the bag, transit police seized a glock 23 semi-automatic firearm, five large capacity magazines — three of which were fully loaded, nearly 100 rounds of ammunition, a Kevlar ballistic vest, a black neoprene ski mask and black leather tactical-style gloves.
Goodson was located at about 4 p.m. and placed under arrest.
In addition to his $50,000 Goodson was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and wear a GPS monitoring device. He was also ordered to stay away from St. Francis house and South Station.
He's due back in court on July 10.
