TAUNTON — On Saturday, July 4, 2026, while returning from a call for service, Taunton Police Officer Joshua McCarthy and Sergeant Evan Lavigne observed fireworks being shot off in the back parking lot of High Performance Inc, a car wash at 540 Winthrop Street.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Joshua McCarthy and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officer McCarthy said there were two vehicles with Massachusetts plates in the back lot. There were also several people.
“While Sergeant Lavigne was speaking to the individuals outside, I asked for everybody’s driver’s licenses for identification,” Officer McCarthy said.
Officer McCarthy said there was a man standing between the vehicles who did not have his driver’s license on him.
“When I asked for the male party’s name, he identified himself as Takei Galloway,” Officer McCarthy said.
According to police, Takei Galloway, 21, is a resident of Boston, MA.
After this, Officer McCarthy said he conducted a records check on Galloway through the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) database.
“CJIS showed Mr. Galloway with an active warrant,” Officer McCarthy said. Later adding, “I then radioed police dispatch and asked them to conduct a CJIS inquiry on Takei. Police dispatch confirmed that he had one warrant.”
Officer McCarthy and Sergeant Lavigne then took Galloway into custody.
“Handcuffs were placed firmly against the skin, not to impede circulation,” Officer McCarthy said. “Officer [Rude Elson] Andrade then placed Takei in the back of his marked cruiser for transport.”
Officer McCarthy said that while searching Galloway’s person incident to arrest, police took off his backpack.
“While searching Takei’s backpack, Officer Andrade observed a clear baggie containing marijuana,” Officer McCarthy said. “Takei was then transported back to Taunton Police Headquarters for booking. It should be noted that all fireworks will be marked for destruction. Both operators received separate citations for motor vehicle trespass.”
In addition to the fireworks, Officer McCarthy said all of the marijuana was also confiscated for destruction.
Takei Galloway, 21, of Boston, was charged with the following:
- Marijuana +2 Oz, Possess Outside Residence
- ADM-Warrant
- Assault & Battery on Family/Household Member
- Strangulation or Suffocation
After Galloway failed to appear for his arraignment scheduled for July 6, 2026, in Taunton District Court, a default warrant was issued for his arrest.
On July 13, 2026, Galloway walked into Taunton District Court, where the warrant was recalled and he was arraigned. During his arraignment that day, the judge agreed to dismiss the marijuana possession charge under the condition that Galloway pay $100 in court costs. Galloway paid the court costs and the charge was subsequently dismissed.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in July, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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