A 51-year-old Taunton man received an eight to 10-year state prison sentence after pleading guilty to drug and assault charges stemming from a dangerous high-speed chase that left a Massachusetts State Trooper hospitalized from drug exposure.

Leonard Vargus was sentenced Oct. 14, 2025, in Fall River Superior Court for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, flurofentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, along with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced. The sentence will begin after Vargus completes a current three to four-year prison term for an unrelated Suffolk County case.

The charges stem from an April 14, 2023, incident that began when a state trooper stopped Vargus on Route 138 in Raynham for a licens

See Full Page