WESTFIELD – A city man who is known to Westfield police is not having a good month.
Tens days after being arrested on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, Jacob Samborski was arrested on charges of municipal bylaw violation, i.e. violating the open container law.
Chapter 10, entitled “offenses and miscellaneous provisions” of the Westfield Code of Ordinances, section 10-23 states: “Consumption of alcoholic or malt beverages in public; open container.
No person shall drink or consume any alcoholic beverage or any malt beverage, or posses an open container full or partially full of any alcoholic beverage or of any malt beverage, while on, in, or upon any municipal sidewalk or any public way or other sidewalk or way to which the public has a right of access,” according to city ordinances.
Other provisions in this chapter include not urinating in public (sec. 10-25) and not spitting in public (sec. 10-22).
On Saturday, a Westfield police officer saw Samborski, 27, walking along Main Street at approximately 10:50 p.m. “drinking from a 40 oz Natural Ice beer bottle,” according to court logs.
The officer made contact with the defendant, confirmed that the beer bottle was open and noted that it was half empty.
Samborski was released in lieu of $100 cash bail after being arraigned in Westfield District Court on Tuesday.
He is due back in court on May 12 for this charge, which is the same day he is due back in court for the assault charge.
On March 9, Samborski had allegedly been following and threatening two men with a knife.
One of the alleged victims went to his car near Berkshire Bank, located at 31 Court Street, obtained a gun and handed it to the other victim who shot the gun into the ground in an effort to thwart Samborski’s advances, according to court records.
Multiple calls had come into dispatch at 11:05 p.m. that night due to the gun shot.
Incidentally, another provision in Chapter 10 of the Westfield Code of Ordinances, includes not discharging weapons in public (sec. 10-11). Neither of the victims were charged with a crime, since it appears they acted out of self-defense.
Allegedly, Samborski kept waving the knife at the men until police arrived on scene.
For this offense, Samborski was released on $500 personal surety after being arraigned in Westfield District Court on March 10.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
