Seven Suspects Related to North Adams Stabbing Arraigned

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The last of eight suspects connected to a stabbing death in Wheel Estates Mobile Home Park in North Adams last August was arraigned in Berkshire Superior Court on Monday, Jan. 5.

The three-month investigation into the death of 24-year-old Daniel J. Walters lead to the arrest of eight people on various charges and broke up an alleged drug trafficking circle.

Wayne A. Senecal Jr., 22, of Protection Avenue, North Adams, had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf on Monday on a charge of furnishing the police with misleading information.

Michelle L. "Shelly" Nichlen, 28, of Ashland Street, North Adams, had a not-guilty plea entered on the same charge on Dec. 30.

Police say Senecal and Nichlen helped the lead suspect, Ronnell Garmie, flee the scene of the stabbing on Aug. 20, 2008, and then misled investigators.

Garmie, 19, was arrested the day after Walters' slaying at his mother's Bronx, N.Y., home.

Garmie was indicted by a Berkshire County grand jury on drug charges on Dec. 16. The jury declined indict him on a murder charge, finding Garmie had acted in self-defense in stabbing Waters. A police investigation had found Waters had entered the mobile home where Garmie was staying to steal drugs from him.

According to local media reports, the two men struggled and Walters slashed Garmie with a box cutter before being impaled on a steak knife in Garmie's hand. Walters body was found on neighbor's lawn.

Garmie is being held on $100,000 bail at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the drug charges.

Both Senecal and Nichlen were released on personal recognizance by Judge John J. Agostini.


The five other defendants were arraigned last week on a variety of charges.

Tina M. Senecal, 52, owner of the mobile home on Navajo Drive where the stabbing took place, was arraigned on Dec. 29, 2008, for allowing Garmie to stay at her home and use it as a base for his alleged drug dealing. She also aided him in trafficking, say police, between Aug. 1 and Aug. 20, 2008.

She had not-quilty pleas entered on her behalf for single counts of trafficking in cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug laws and furnishing misleading information to police.
 
Walters' mother and girlfriend were arraigned the same day as Tina Senecal on charges of larceny and giving the police false information.

Monique M. Rock, 24, of Union Street, North Adams, and Constance Pratt, 44, of White Oaks Road, Williamstown, also known as Constance Winnie, were alleged to have gone with Walters to Senecal's trailer.

Two others, Kathleen Lear, 46, of Ashland Street and Brenda L. Blasi, 40, of Liberty Street, North Adams, were arraigned on Dec. 30 and Dec. 29, respectively, on single charges of consipiracy to violate drug laws, distribution of cocaine.

Police say the two women helped procure customers and packaged the drugs.

All five were released on personal recognizance.
    
The investigation was conducted by state police detectives assigned to the district attorney's office who were aided by members of the North Adams Police Department.
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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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