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Police & Fire
Late-Night Meal Leads To Blaze In Western Mass Apartment: Firefighters Late-Night Meal Leads To Blaze In Western Mass Apartment: Firefighters
Late-Night Meal Leads To Blaze In Western Mass Apartment: Firefighters Hampden County fire officials have reminded residents to stay alert while cooking after someone sparked a blaze in their kitchen early Friday morning, July 28.  The fire started just before 1:30 a.m. at an apartment complex at 48 Holy Family Road in Holyoke. The sprinkler system stopped the blaze from reaching other units, and firefighters quickly extinguished the remaining flames, the Holyoke Fire Department said.  No one was injured in the fire, but the residents of the apartment where the blaze began could not return to their unit. Firefighters said unattended cooking is the c…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Second Man Charged With Fatal Shooting In Western Mass Second Man Charged With Fatal Shooting In Western Mass
Second Man Charged With Fatal Shooting In Western Mass A 29-year-old man from Hampden County was the second person arrested and accused this week of the shooting death of a Chicopee man two months ago, authorities said.  Ryan Navarro, of Holyoke, was arrested Tuesday, July 18, and charged with murder in the May 13 killing of 27-year-old Jasell Camacho, the Hampden County District Attorney said. James Carmenatty, 34, of Holyoke, was arrested days after Camacho was found shot to death in Holyoke, officials said.  Both men are being held without bail.  Related: 'Until We Meet Again': Police ID 27-Year-Old Man Killed In H…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Man's Dirt Bike Ride In Western Mass Could Land Him In Prison For Decades Man's Dirt Bike Ride In Western Mass Could Land Him In Prison For Decades
Man's Dirt Bike Ride In Western Mass Could Land Him In Prison For Decades What started as a traffic ticket for a man caught riding a dirt bike on a public street in Western Massachusetts last week spiraled into multiple charges that could carry years in prison if he's convicted, authorities said.  Kevin Orlick, age 34, of Staten Island, New York, was stopped on July 6 after police spotted him riding a dirt bike in Hampden County on Cabot Street in Holyoke, police said. As officers spoke with them, they learned he was a fugitive with several outstanding warrants from New York, authorities continued.  Complicating his situation, Orlick was carrying 259 ba…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
'Once In A Lifetime Partner': Police Dog Who Earned Medal Of Merit Dies In Western Mass Dies 'Once In A Lifetime Partner': Police Dog Who Earned Medal Of Merit Dies In Western Mass Dies
'Once In A Lifetime Partner': Police Dog Who Earned Medal Of Merit Dies In Western Mass Dies A police dog who survived a stabbing and viscous beating has died following nine years of service in Hampden County. Jori died on June 29 after a brief illness, the Holyoke Police Department announced on Facebook. The beloved pooch earned the medal of merit after he survived an attack in 2015 that veterinarians thought was likely fatal.  Jori joined the Holyoke police force in 2013 and was partnered with officer Ryan Tabb. He helped sniff out drugs and weapons, find missing people, search for lost items, and protect his colleagues and community.  But he will be remembered for more than th…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Missing Holyoke Teen Struggling With Mental Health Found Safe, Family Says Missing Holyoke Teen Struggling With Mental Health Found Safe, Family Says
Missing Holyoke Teen Struggling With Mental Health Found Safe, Family Says UPDATE: Jeremiah's family says that he has been found safe. A family from Western Massachusetts is hoping the public will help them find a missing 13-year-old boy who is struggling with his mental health. Jeremiah "Jay" Boyd" was last seen in Holyoke on Friday, June 23, Holyoke Police report. The 13-year-old apparently fled the program in which he was receiving treatment for his mental health, a family member said on Facebook.  "Initially we were hoping that he was having an episode and ran away once more, and had been staying with a friend," Gisenia Gisenia wrote. "But things have since …

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by David Cifarelli
Police & Fire
Man Shot, Killed In Holyoke Near Police Department Man Shot, Killed In Holyoke Near Police Department
Man Shot, Killed In Holyoke Near Police Department A man was shot and killed in Holyoke Friday morning, June 23, and police have launched an investigation to find the shooter.  Holyoke police were called to Appleton Street just before 9:30 a.m., suffering a gunshot wound. He died at the scene soon after, authorities said.  Investigators have not released the man's name.  Police have released scant details about the shooting so far.  Holyoke detectives and the Hampden District Attorney's Office is investigating.  Officers ask anyone with information on the shooting to call 413-322-6900.

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Child Rape Conviction: Springfield Man Sentenced To 13-15 Years In Prison Child Rape Conviction: Springfield Man Sentenced To 13-15 Years In Prison
Child Rape Conviction: Springfield Man Sentenced To 13-15 Years In Prison A Springfield man who was accused of sexually abusing a Holyoke child for two years will spend the next 13 to 15 years behind bars, officials announced on Monday, June 12.  Hector Heredia-Alamo was convicted in May of rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said.  The sentence is the end of a legal saga that began in December 2020 when Holyoke police arrested the man after a young child told family members that Heredia-Alamo was sexually abusing their older sibling, officials s…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
‘GOAT’ Trooper Saves Scared Deer In Holyoke: 'This Is Why He Get's The Big Bucks' ‘GOAT’ Trooper Saves Scared Deer In Holyoke: 'This Is Why He Get's The Big Bucks'
‘GOAT’ Trooper Saves Scared Deer In Holyoke: 'This Is Why He Get's The Big Bucks' Proving a trooper's shift is never, Timothy Martin put in some overtime on Sunday, June 4, when he spotted a lost deer on I-91 in Holyoke and leaped into action to save its life with the help of some doe-eyed drivers. Martin was on his way home when he noticed a traffic jam grow around a confused and frightened doe that had gotten separated from its mother, State Troopers said in a Facebook post.  Several drivers had gotten out of their cars to corral the week-old fawn away from traffic.  Instinct took over for man and beast, as Martin threw himself headlong into the fray like a buck makin…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Holyoke Lottery Winner Sees Connection To Her Mom In $1M Prize Holyoke Lottery Winner Sees Connection To Her Mom In $1M Prize
Holyoke Lottery Winner Sees Connection To Her Mom In $1M Prize Holyoke has a new millionaire after a woman won a seven-figure prize on a scratch-off lottery ticket last month, officials said.  Patricia Liardi won the $1 million prize as part of the $2,000,000 50X Cashword game. Liardi will walk away with $650,000 after electing to take the lump sum rather than the annuity payments, state lottery officials said.  Liardi noted her winning ticket was number 36, the same year her mom was born.  Liardi bought the ticket at Stop & Go at 399 Hillside Ave. in Holyoke. The store will get a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning scratch-o…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Holyoke Slaying: Arrest Made In Shooting Death Of Chicopee Man Holyoke Slaying: Arrest Made In Shooting Death Of Chicopee Man
Holyoke Slaying: Arrest Made In Shooting Death Of Chicopee Man A 34-year-old Holyoke man is being held without bail after police say he shot and killed a Chicopee man earlier this month, authorities announced on Wednesday, May 24.  James Carmenatty was arrested and charged with murder on Friday, May 19, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said.  Carmenatty is accused of killing Jasell Camacho just after 1:30 p.m. on Lyman Street in Holyoke, the prosecutor said.  Officials identified Jasell Camacho as the man killed just after 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, in Holyoke.Jasell Camacho Facebook Holyoke Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Murder Conviction: 4 Men Get Life In Prison For Holyoke Man's 2019 Slaying Murder Conviction: 4 Men Get Life In Prison For Holyoke Man's 2019 Slaying
Murder Conviction: 4 Men Get Life In Prison For Holyoke Man's 2019 Slaying  Four men convicted last week for the murder of a Holyoke man in 2019 were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Wednesday, May 24, authorities said.  Luis Cotto, Keith Cotto, Isaiah Fraticelli, all of Springfield, and Victor Espinosa, of Chicopee, were also convicted on lesser charges of possession of a firearm and possession of a loaded firearm, the Hampden County District Attorney announced. They received up to seven years to be served concurrently with their life sentences. Investigators said the men pulled up alongside a pickup truck driven by Gabriel "Gaby"…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Holyoke Mall Shooting: Accused Shooter Indicted On First-Degree Murder Charge Holyoke Mall Shooting: Accused Shooter Indicted On First-Degree Murder Charge
Holyoke Mall Shooting: Accused Shooter Indicted On First-Degree Murder Charge A 23-year-old Springfield man accused of shooting and killing a man at a mall in Holyoke in January was indicted on a first-degree murder charge on Monday, May 22, authorities announced.  Kenneth Rodriguez-Santana is accused of killing 33-year-old Trung Tran on Jan. 28 at the Holyoke Mall, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said.  Police received several 911 calls around 7 p.m. when the shooting began.  Investigators have previously said that Rodriguez-Santana was getting a pedicure with his girlfriend at A Touch of Beauty, where Tran worked. A man …

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by Josh Lanier