Man sentenced to 11 years in prison after weapons, drug convictions in Somerset County
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Somerset County) — A Somerset County man has been sentenced to 11 years in state prison following convictions on multiple weapons and drug charges stemming from a 2021 investigation, prosecutors said.
Kenneth James, 34, of Somerset was sentenced March 31 to an aggregate term of 11 years, including five years without parole eligibility, according to authorities.
A Somerset County jury convicted James in May 2025 after a two-week trial of second-degree certain persons not to have weapons, unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a firearm during a controlled dangerous substance offense and third-degree possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, among other charges.
Prosecutors said James failed to appear at the conclusion of his trial and for a scheduled sentencing in August 2025, prompting the issuance of a bench warrant. He remained a fugitive for more than six months.
Authorities located James on Feb. 18 outside a residence on Lenox Place in Somerset. When detectives attempted to arrest him, he fled into the home and barricaded himself in a second-floor room, officials said.
A SWAT team was called to the scene, and investigators later determined James had escaped through a second-story window and entered a nearby unoccupied residence. He was ultimately taken into custody and charged with second-degree burglary and fourth-degree resisting arrest. That case remains pending.
At sentencing, the judge cited the seriousness of the offenses, which carried mandatory parole ineligibility terms. James received a seven-year sentence on the weapons convictions, including five years without parole, and a consecutive four-year term for the drug conviction.
The charges stem from a Feb. 9, 2021, investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force. Detectives attempted to stop James on Girard Avenue in Franklin Township, but he fled on foot and hid a loaded 9mm handgun on a basement windowsill, authorities said.
He was arrested in a backyard nearby, and officers later recovered the firearm along his path of flight. A search of his vehicle uncovered about half a pound of marijuana and packaging materials, according to prosecutors.
