Satron Pridgen, Firearm Assault, Massachusetts 2023

FITCHBURG, MA – A night of drinking outside Mill City Pub turned brutally violent in mid-September, culminating in the indictment of Satron Pridgen, 45, on federal firearms charges. Pridgen is accused of using a loaded pistol to repeatedly strike another man in the head during a late-night altercation.

According to charging documents, the incident unfolded around 1:30 a.m. on September 16th. Witnesses allege Pridgen escalated a dispute by brandishing a handgun and then using it as a weapon, delivering multiple blows to the victim’s head. When law enforcement arrived, Pridgen allegedly attempted to ditch the firearm near a dumpster before being taken into custody.

This isn’t Pridgen’s first brush with the law, and certainly not with violent crime. He’s already a convicted felon with a lengthy rap sheet from Worcester Superior Court. His prior convictions include a 1999 sentence of nine to ten years for assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, a 2011 twelve-year sentence for armed assault with intent to rob, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and illegal firearm possession, and a separate 2011 nine to ten year sentence for drug trafficking.

Due to his extensive criminal history, Pridgen was already prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. Now, he’s been indicted on the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If convicted, he faces a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a hefty $250,000 fine.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office, with support from Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Boston Division, and Fitchburg Police Chief Ernest F. Martineau. Officials have tied the prosecution to Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal initiative aimed at curbing violent crime and gun violence.

Pridgen is scheduled to appear in federal court in Worcester on November 6th before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy. It’s important to remember that the charges are allegations at this point, and Pridgen is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. However, his history paints a grim picture, and the feds are coming down hard.

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