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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
“A heretic is a man who sees with his own eyes. “
— GOTTHOLD LESSING
www.thewestfieldnews.com WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015
VOL. 84 NO. 224
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August crime stats By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – For the month of August, statistically-speaking, again men committed far more crimes than women, and while crimes committed decrease by age, those age 50 or older were charged with some pretty violent crimes. Disclaimer: the analysis included here is for court cases that were available and included in the Westfield News during August 2015. This is not a complete list of all cases that have gone before the judge in the past month. Additionally, this includes arraignments, people who have been charged but not yet tried, along with cases that have reached disposition, meaning the defendants may have received sentences, probation, fines or had charges dismissed. Of 117 cases examined, 85 percent of the offenders were men, up from 82 percent in July. The average age of offenders were quite similar between July and August. For those aged 18-20, both months saw 8 percent of offenders fall within this age range. Again, the majority of charges were for people in their 20s, but this month with 42 percent as compared to 32 percent in July. The second highest number of crimes were committed (or allegedly committed) by offenders in their 30s, 22 percent. The number of offenses decreases as age increases: offenders in their 40s, 17 percent (down from 23 percent in July), 50s, 8 percent and 60s or older, 3 percent. Most offenders are charged with more than one crime. For this analysis the first offense was counted, which may or may not be related to other offenses with which the suspect was charged. For the sake of analysis here, the charges have been grouped into seven categories, and are listed by frequency: Motor vehicle (including any offense while operating a motor vehicle, excluding operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol): 38 percent. Assault and battery (including violations of abuse prevention orders): 25 percent of offenses, up from 18 percent in July. Larceny, theft and breaking and entering: 10 percent of August’s offenses. Disorderly conduct, destruction of property, trespass and related offenses: 9 percent, down from 14 percent in July. Operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol (OUI): 8 percent. Drug-related offenses were 7 percent, up from 5 percent in July. Sex crimes, which included two defendants charged with open and gross lewdness and one charged with rape: less than 3 percent. So in sum, types of offense, in order of frequency: motor vehicle (without OUIs), 38 percent; assault and battery, 25 percent; larceny, 10 percent; destruction of property, 9 percent; OUIs, 8 percent; drugs 7 percent; and sex crimes, less than 3 percent. As people get older, it seems they are much less likely to commit a crime. In August, nine offenders were in their 50s and four were 60 years old or older, with the oldest offender being 72. All of the offenders in this age group were male with the exception of one female, who was charged with larceny. The types of crimes committed by this age group include some violent crimes: one charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, one charge of assault and battery, along with three who were charged with violating abuse prevention orders. Other crimes committed by those age 50 or older include distributing drugs, four motor vehicle offenses (without OUI), including leaving the scene of property damage for the 72-year-old defendant, and one charge of OUI. Lastly, a man in his 50s was charged with open and gross See Stats, Page 3
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SHOPLIFTING SUSPECT
Police seek Stop & Shop shoplifting suspect By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – The Westfield Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a shoplifting suspect. On September 4 at approximately 1:30 p.m., a loss prevention representative from Stop & Shop Supermarket, located at 57 Main Street, called police to report that two days prior two Keurig coffee machines were stolen. Police reviewed the security footage and posted the photograph of the suspect to its Facebook page on September 7. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Phelon at (413) 6429390 or s.phelon@cityofwestfield.org. Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at christinec@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com
By HOPE E. TREMBLAY Staff Writer SOUTHWICK – The Parks and Recreation Commission has to wait two more weeks to have a full Commission. The Commission held a joint meeting with the Southwick Board of Selectmen last night to interview candidates and appoint two members but Selectman Douglas Moglin was absent due to a family emergency and Chairman Joseph Deedy and Selectman Russell Fox wanted to wait until Moglin was there to vote on new members. Also, just two of the five candidates attended the meeting. Commissioner Daniel Call said he was unaware that the candidates, who were all interviewed by the Commission last week, had to be present last night. Deedy said he would like the remaining three candidates to appear at the Sept. 21 meeting for interviews with the Board. Call asked if the Commission could make a recommendation on its preference, but Fox and Deedy asked him to wait until after all the candidates met with the Board. Commissioner John Whalley noted that the Commission was looking for members who were versatile and would take on new projects, including Prifti Park and Swamp Trail Park. “One of the things we’re looking for is somebody not just wrapped up in sports,” said Whalley.
Westfield State holds steady in national college rankings WESTFIELD – Westfield State University is one of Massachusetts’* top public universities in the region according to the U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges 2016” ranking list. Distinguishing the university is its graduation rate of 63 percent. “Graduation rates remain an important measure of success and we are proud to be recognized for helping students achieve their goal of earning a bachelor’s degree,” said Elizabeth Preston, president, Westfield State University. “There is always more to be done. We are focusing efforts on a wide range of student support initiatives, including an enhanced First-Year Forward program to help students transition to college; on expanding opportunities for community service and engagement, undergraduate research,
and internships; and on creating a variety of new alumni programs to improve our engagement with graduates.” Westfield State officially ranked 116 in the top tier of the “Best Regional Universities – North.” The overall rankings of regional universities, which offer an array of undergraduate and graduate degrees but few doctoral programs, are split amongst four quadrants of the country – North, South, Midwest, and West, respectively. Only the top tier of each category is ranked. The 618 universities in this category are not ranked nationally but rather against their peer group in one of four geographic regions because, in general, they tend to draw students most heavily from surrounding states. Westfield State has steadily climbed in the annual college rankings, notably jumping a full
tier in 2009. Rankings were determined by a number of factors including assessment of excellence, retention and graduation rates, graduation rate performance, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. New this year, peer assessment was not a factor in scoring educational institutions. In January, Westfield State was named in the top 30 percent of U.S. News & World Report 2015 “Best Online Education Programs” list, and was ranked 58 out of 214 in the Online Education Bachelor’s Program category. Westfield State has offered online classes since 2002 and currently offers six online bachelor’s degree completion See College Ranking, Page 3
Teen charged with encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself By DENISE LAVOIE AP Legal Affairs Writer FAIRHAVEN, Mass. (AP) — At first glance, the text messages appear to show a disturbing case of cyberbullying: one teen urging another to kill himself. But the texts were not sent by a school bully. They were from a 17-year-old girl to her boyfriend, whom she called the love of her life. “You can’t think about it. You just have to do it. You said you were gonna do it. Like I don’t get why you aren’t,” Michelle Carter allegedly wrote to Conrad Roy III the day he parked his truck outside a Fairhaven Kmart and killed himself through carbon monoxide poisoning. Prosecutors have charged Carter with involuntary manslaughter in Roy’s 2014 death. They say that in the week before Roy killed himself, Carter assisted by urging him to overcome his doubts about taking his own life, pressuring him to do it and even telling him to get back in his truck after
becoming frightened that the plan was working. Carter’s lawyer has strenuously denied that she pushed him to kill himself and has asked a judge to dismiss the case. In their written response, prosecutors included text exchanges between Carter and Roy that they say support their claim that Carter caused her boyfriend’s death by “wantonly and recklessly” helping him poison himself. Roy, 18, had a history of depression and had attempted suicide two years earlier, taking an overdose of the painkiller acetaminophen. “You can’t keep living this way. You just need to do it like you did the last time and not think about it and just do it, babe,” Carter texted him. Carter’s lawyer, Joseph Cataldo, said her texts amount to speech protected by the First Amendment. He said it’s clear from the exchanges that Roy had made up his mind to take his See Teen Charged, Page 3