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Northwestern District Attorney's Office

Police & Fire
Western Mass Man Gave Woman Laced Drugs Leading To Her Overdose: DA Western Mass Man Gave Woman Laced Drugs Leading To Her Overdose: DA
Western Mass Man Gave Woman Laced Drugs Leading To Her Overdose: DA A Westfield man is accused of causing a woman's death after he sold her a drug stronger than fentanyl, but told her it was far less harmful, authorities said.  Christopher Halla, 42, is charged with manslaughter and tampering with evidence in the death of a 57-year-old South Hadley woman in May, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said.  Investigators allege the woman tried to buy oxycodone from Halla, but he gave her a pill laced with metonitazene, a synthetic opioid far more potent than fentanyl. Fentanyl is the leading cause of the opioid overdose epidemi…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Western Mass. Man ID'd As Victim In Motorcycle Crash Western Mass. Man ID'd As Victim In Motorcycle Crash
Western Mass. Man ID'd As Victim In Motorcycle Crash A 70-year-old man was killed over the weekend after crashing with a truck in Hampshire County, authorities said. James Lis, of Three Rivers, died on Saturday, Aug. 24, in a crash in Hadley, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said on Monday.  Lis was driving his motorcycle north on East Street when he crashed with a truck driving south that was turning into a driveway around noon.  Paramedics took him to Baystate Medical Center, where he later died.  Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. 

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Man Who Admitted To Western Mass Crash That Sent 8 On Motorcycles To Hospital Gets Prison Man Who Admitted To Western Mass Crash That Sent 8 On Motorcycles To Hospital Gets Prison
Man Who Admitted To Western Mass Crash That Sent 8 On Motorcycles To Hospital Gets Prison A Rhode Island man who admitted to being under the influence when he crashed into a group of motorcyclists, sending eight people to the hospital with serious injuries, in Franklin County was sentenced to prison, authorities said.  Ryan O’Farrell, 34, was sentenced to nine to 12 years behind bars on Monday, Aug. 19, for the 2022 crash, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said.  O'Farrell was behind the wheel of an SUV pulling a trailer with a motorcycle when he drifted over the center line on Route 10 in Northfield near Main Street on a sunny May 29, 2022, day when he …

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by Josh Lanier
Obituaries
Body Pulled From Western Mass Pond ID'd As Missing 22-Year-Old Body Pulled From Western Mass Pond ID'd As Missing 22-Year-Old
Body Pulled From Western Mass Pond ID'd As Missing 22-Year-Old Police believe the body pulled from a Hampshire County lake belongs to a 22-year-old man who has been missing   several days, authorities said.  Rodney Yankson, of Easthampton, was reported missing on Tuesday, Aug. 13, and was found on Friday afternoon at Lower Mill Pond in Easthampton, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said.  A father and his son who were going fishing found the body.  The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the man's ID and the cause of death.  Yankson's family created a GoFundMe to help pay for his …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Weekend Wreck In Western Mass County Third Fatal In 3 Days Weekend Wreck In Western Mass County Third Fatal In 3 Days
Weekend Wreck In Western Mass County Third Fatal In 3 Days A 51-year-old man was killed in the third fatal wreck in the Western Massachusetts county in as many days, authorities said.  In Hampshire County, the Belchertown man was the only person in the vehicle when it crashed on Sunday, July 21, around 7:45 p.m. on Washington Street in Belchertown, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said. Police are investigating what led to the wreck.  The man's name has not been released as authorities notify his family.  The crash was the third in Hampshire County over 72 hours.  Jose M. Soto, a 62-year-old Springf…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Western Mass Man Stalked, Threatened Prosecutor After Attacking His Own Mother: DA Western Mass Man Stalked, Threatened Prosecutor After Attacking His Own Mother: DA
Western Mass Man Stalked, Threatened Prosecutor After Attacking His Own Mother: DA A 28-year-old Hampshire County man accused of choking his mother until she passed out is now charged with stalking and threatening to murder the prosecutor of that case, authorities said.  Cody Malone, of Northampton, is charged with stalking, criminal harassment, intimidation of a prosecutor, and threatening to commit murder, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said. Malone pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.  Malone is accused of threatening the life of Assistant District Attorney Matthew Thomas, who was prosecuting Malone on charges of attempting to…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Suspect Accused Of Killing Western Mass Man, Leaving Body In Apartment Returns To Mass From NY Suspect Accused Of Killing Western Mass Man, Leaving Body In Apartment Returns To Mass From NY
Suspect Accused Of Killing Western Mass Man, Leaving Body In Apartment Returns To Mass From NY The suspect accused of killing a beloved Pittsfield and Greenfield man was returned to Massachusetts to face charges after being held in New York for more than two months.  Taaniel Herberger-Brown will be arraigned on Tuesday, July 9, in the slaying of Chris "Stix" Hairston, 35, in April, the Northwestern District Attorney said.  Related: Dead Body Found In Pittsfield Home After Neighbors Called About Smell Police found Hairston's body on April 22 inside a Greenfield apartment on Chapman Street after neighbors called officers to report a disgusting smell coming from inside, the Northwester…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Man Admits To Killing Athol Woman In Head-On Western Mass Crash, Will Lose License For 15 Years Man Admits To Killing Athol Woman In Head-On Western Mass Crash, Will Lose License For 15 Years
Man Admits To Killing Athol Woman In Head-On Western Mass Crash, Will Lose License For 15 Years A 64-year-old Needham man has admitted to causing the head-on collision in Franklin County last year that killed a 57-year-old woman, authorities announced on Monday, June 24.  Benoit Marande, 64, pleaded guilty to motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation in the June 30, 2023, crash and was sentenced to nine months in prison along with a 15-year revocation of his license, the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said. A judge suspended all but 30 days of Marande's prison term.  Marande was accused of killing Tracy Matthews when his Mazda MX-5 Miata crossed o…

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by Josh Lanier