A 34-year-old man already charged in connection with a fatal motor vehicle crash in Taunton last year has been indicted on numerous drug trafficking and firearm charges, according to officials.
Hector Bannister-Sanchez was previously arrested and ordered to be held without bail following a crash on Kingman Road on Nov. 7, 2022, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.
He was indicted on charges of Second Degree Murder and Reckless Motor Vehicle Homicide after he allegedly fled from police, speeding through several towns before plowing into a vehicle and entrapping the driver, 54-year-old Lori Medeiros, who was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
During the suspect’s arraignment on Jan. 10, 2023, Assistant District Attorney Kaitlyn O’Leary told the court Bannister-Sanchez had been the subject of a four-month-long investigation.
Authorities had been monitoring his Toyota Highlander and an alleged stash house in Norton, and on Nov. 7, attempted to stop and arrest him while he was allegedly conducting a drug deal with a customer in Middleborough.
Police said Bannister-Sanchez fled the scene as officers approached, forcing a state trooper to get out of the way as he drove through a front yard and crashed through a property’s front landing.
A court-authorized GPS on the highlander revealed that even when not being pursued by police, the suspect’s vehicle proceeded to drive at speeds of up to 101 mph as it went through Middleborough, Lakeville and Taunton.
“O’Leary noted that witnesses observed the defendant driving at dangerous and excessive speeds, crossing in and out of oncoming traffic as he did so, and forcing other vehicles on the road out of the way in order to avoid getting hit,” a press release from the DA’s office stated.
The Highlander eventually crashed into Medeiros’ vehicle, leading to Bannister-Sanchez allegedly fleeing on foot, according to the DA’s office. He was then arrested a short time later.
The DA’s office also noted that when Bannister-Sanchez fled his vehicle, he grabbed a backpack containing $16,350 in cash.
Weeks after his Jan. 10 indictment, the suspect was indicted again on charges of:
- Trafficking in Excess of 200 Grams of a Class B Drug
- Trafficking in Excess of 100 Grams of a Class B Drug
- Trafficking in Excess of 36 Grams of a Class A Drug
- Unlawful Possession of a Large Capacity Firearm
- Unlawful Possession of a Firearm with a Prior Felony Conviction (two counts)
The new charges came after a search warrant was executed at his alleged stash house in Norton, where investigators collected:
- Approximately 750 grams of suspected cocaine
- Approximately 70 grams of suspected fentanyl powder
- Approximately 240 grams of suspected fentanyl pills
- Approximately 182 grams of suspected methamphetamine pills
- A Glock 19 firearm with a large capacity magazine containing 11 rounds
- Approximately $46,130.00 in cash,
Also recovered from the stash house was “paperwork for the defendant, drug packaging materials and drug legers and notes.”
Officials said Bannister-Sanchez is likely to be arraigned in Fall River Superior Court on the latest indictments on Feb. 22 – the same date he was scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing on the original second degree murder and reckless motor vehicle homicide case.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)