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Police & Fire
Man Who Shared Nude Images Of Kids As Young As 3 In Western Mass Gets 7 Years In Prison: Feds Man Who Shared Nude Images Of Kids As Young As 3 In Western Mass Gets 7 Years In Prison: Feds
Man Who Shared Nude Images Of Kids As Young As 3 In Western Mass Gets 7 Years In Prison: Feds A 42-year-old Hampden County man who admitted to sharing child sexual abuse material with an undercover officer was sentenced on Thursday, Sept. 14, to seven years in federal prison, authorities said.  Robert Avrett, of Ludlow, was charged with distribution and possession of child pornography, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. He'll serve five years of probation after he's released.  Investigators said Avrett shared photos and videos of child sexual abuse material over the social messaging app Kik, featuring children as young as 3 years old. He sent several videos to an…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Mass Man Killed By Falling Tree While Camping With Fiancée In Vermont ID'd Mass Man Killed By Falling Tree While Camping With Fiancée In Vermont ID'd
Mass Man Killed By Falling Tree While Camping With Fiancée In Vermont ID'd A 33-year-old Hampden County man on a camping trip in Vermont was killed on Friday, Sept. 8, when a tree fell on him during a storm, authorities said.  Joshua Przybycien, of Palmer, was camping with his fiancée, Kathryn Workman, in Somerset, Vermont, when high winds and heavy rains toppled the tree around 1 a.m., Vermont State Police said. No one else was injured.  Related: Community Rallies Around Palmer Man Killed By Falling Tree Adam Przybycien posted on Facebook that Joshua was "kind and loved by all." Long Live Joshua Przybycien. I Love you man it still don’t feel real and it …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Man With Third Eye Didn't See Western Mass Police Raid Coming; 3 Busted Following Tips: Cops Man With Third Eye Didn't See Western Mass Police Raid Coming; 3 Busted Following Tips: Cops
Man With Third Eye Didn't See Western Mass Police Raid Coming; 3 Busted Following Tips: Cops Holyoke residents fed up with a suspected open-air drug market alerted police to the operation, which launched a monthslong sting in Hampden County between police and the FBI, authorities said.  Police arrested three people at an apartment at 365 Appleton Street on Wednesday, Sept.6, and seized "significant quantities" of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine, Holyoke police announced. They also found ammunition inside the home.  Jose Rivera, 39, Emilio Rivera, 36, and Brandy Bellemore, 30, were arrested in the sting that involved FBI agents in Western Massachusetts, police said. T…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Man Shot In Head Was Talking When He Was Found At Hampden County Gas Station Man Shot In Head Was Talking When He Was Found At Hampden County Gas Station
Man Shot In Head Was Talking When He Was Found At Hampden County Gas Station A man shot in the head was talkative and alert when he was found at a Hampden County gas station on Saturday, Sept. 2.  The man, whose name was not released, was found in the parking lot of the Sunoco gas station on North Main Street in East Longmeadow just after 8 p.m., East Longmeadow police said. It's unclear how he ended up at the gas station.  Paramedics took the man to a Baystate Medical Center, where East Longmeadow detectives spoke with him about how a bullet ended up in his skull. He told them the shooting happened on the other side of the Springfield-East Longmeadow bord…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Seen Him? Alert Issued For Missing 17-Year-Old From Western Mass Seen Him? Alert Issued For Missing 17-Year-Old From Western Mass
Seen Him? Alert Issued For Missing 17-Year-Old From Western Mass Police are asking for help in locating a teenager from Western Massachusetts who has been missing for several days. Hampden County resident Ayden Williams, age 17, was last seen walking away from his Wilbraham home on Friday, Sept. 1, according to police. Williams is described as being 5-foot-8-inches tall and 150 pounds.  He was last seen wearing a camouflage shirt, zip-up hoodie sweatshirt, and dark-colored pants. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Wilbraham Police Department at 413-596-3837. Share this story by clicking the Facebook icon below. Check back to Daily …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Western Mass Cop Welcomed Home 175 Days After Post ‘Battle Of The Badges’ Heart Attack Western Mass Cop Welcomed Home 175 Days After Post ‘Battle Of The Badges’ Heart Attack
Western Mass Cop Welcomed Home 175 Days After Post ‘Battle Of The Badges’ Heart Attack A Hampden County police officer who nearly died while being rushed to the hospital in the spring returned home to a hero's welcome over the weekend.  Chicopee Officer Mark Wilkes called 911 on March 13 after complaining he wasn't feeling well. He'd competed in the annual Battle of the Badges between the Chicopee police and fire departments earlier that day but didn't feel right after returning home.  Wilkes suffered a "serious medical event" in the ambulance, and paramedics had to perform CPR as they rushed him to the hospital, where Wilkes would remain for "175 long days." Officials later…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
2nd Shooting Victim ID'd As Agawam Woman In Springfield Slaying: DA 2nd Shooting Victim ID'd As Agawam Woman In Springfield Slaying: DA
2nd Shooting Victim ID'd As Agawam Woman In Springfield Slaying: DA The 31-year-old Hampden County woman who was shot in a car weeks ago in Springfield has died of her injuries, authorities said.  Amanda Cummings, of Agawam, was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in critical condition following the shooting on Boston Road and Parker Street just after 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 12, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said.  Abdikadir Hussein, 31, of Springfield, a passenger in the car, died at the scene.  Springfield police are still searching for the shooter.  Authorities ask anyone with information into the double slaying to contact d…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Church Elder Gets 15 Years For Sexually Assaulting Teen In Springfield: DA Church Elder Gets 15 Years For Sexually Assaulting Teen In Springfield: DA
Church Elder Gets 15 Years For Sexually Assaulting Teen In Springfield: DA Hampden County authorities said a level-3 registered sex offender who served as a church elder in the Springfield Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses was sentenced to 15 years behind bars for sexually abusing a then 13-year-old child.  Jay Aaron Smith was convicted of four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 by a jury, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said. The judge also sentenced Smith to five years of probation when he's released from prison.  Investigators believe Smith sexually abused a 13-year-old girl for months in late 2020 through …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
2 Charged With Setting Train Car On Fire In Western Mass Causing $250K In Damages: Police 2 Charged With Setting Train Car On Fire In Western Mass Causing $250K In Damages: Police
2 Charged With Setting Train Car On Fire In Western Mass Causing $250K In Damages: Police Police have arrested two men investigators say set a train car on fire on Aug. 16 in Hampden County, destroying everything inside. Johnny Hundley, 23, of Southwick in Hampden County, is charged with breaking and entering into a railroad car, burning a railway car, malicious destruction of property worth more than $1,200, and trespassing on railroad property, the Massachusetts Fire Marshal said.  Brandon Jasorkowski, 25, was arrested in Connecticut and is expected to be extradited to face similar charges, investigators said.  Westfield firefighters were called to the area beh…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Western Mass Train Fire 'Suspicious,' 'Very Fortunate No One Was Injured': Investigators Western Mass Train Fire 'Suspicious,' 'Very Fortunate No One Was Injured': Investigators
Western Mass Train Fire 'Suspicious,' 'Very Fortunate No One Was Injured': Investigators State fire investigators are asking for the public's help to gather more information about a "suspicious" train fire Tuesday night, Aug. 16, in Hampden County, where a door was pried open.  Firefighters in Westfield were called to the area behind181 Notre Dame St. just after 6:45 p.m. and found the train car engulfed in flames. Crews were able to put out the blaze, but all of the contents inside were destroyed, state fire investigators said.  Authorities did not say what was lost.  “Railway fires come with a unique set of hazards to firefighters and the public, and this was a very challen…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
2 Adults Killed, 2 Kids Shot Inside Springfield Home (Developing) 2 Adults Killed, 2 Kids Shot Inside Springfield Home (Developing)
2 Adults Killed, 2 Kids Shot Inside Springfield Home (Developing) Officials in Springfield say a man and woman were killed, and two young children were gravely wounded in a shooting at a home on Berkshire Avenue on Monday, Aug. 14.  The shootings happened just after 2:30 p.m. at  174 Berkshire Ave. near Jasper Street, Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said in a press conference.  The man police believe pulled the trigger died of a self-indicted gunshot wound, reports said. It's unclear what sparked the shooting or how the victims are connected.  Police said a woman was found dead inside the house. Two children were also shot and were in s…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Western Mass Officer Suspended Over Alleged $87K Workers' Comp Fraud: Police Western Mass Officer Suspended Over Alleged $87K Workers' Comp Fraud: Police
Western Mass Officer Suspended Over Alleged $87K Workers' Comp Fraud: Police The agency responsible for policing standards has suspended a man who was an officer in Connecticut and Massachusetts and who lives in Massachusetts after he was charged with illegally receiving nearly $87,000 in workers' compensation benefits while working in Connecticut.  Matthew Hubbard, age 55, of Agawam in Hampden County, was one of four officers suspended by Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training.  Hubbard had worked as a corrections officer at a Connecticut prison and claimed he was hurt responding to a call on Aug. 7, 2020, the Connecticut Division of…

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by Josh Lanier