WESTFIELD – A Granville man was incarcerated Tuesday after he was found to have violated probation imposed when assault, firearms and vehicular charges were adjudicated in October, 2012.
The charges stem from a July 15, 2011 incident in which police officers from at least four different jurisdictions responded to a cell phone call from a woman who said that she had been assaulted by her husband while in their vehicle and prevented from leaving the car.
Officers tracked the moving cell phone signal as the suspect, later identified as Travis K. Britt, 50, drove through Westfield and Southwick before he was found by police at his 50 McCarthy Road, Granville, home after the victim called from her bathroom to tell police that they had returned to their home.
Granville Sgt. Richard Rindels reported at the time in a court document that when he and Officer Rose arrived at the man’s home the suspect approached him “with clenched fists and an angry face” and he was obliged to order the man the back up and put his hands on his vehicle several times, at gunpoint, before the man complied and was initially arrested as a disorderly person.
Southwick officer Michael Taggert, who assisted the Granville officers, reports that the victim said that Britt had punched her head while he was driving, slammed her forehead against he dashboard and had pulled hair from her head.
The woman showed the officer a small clump of her hair she picked up from the floorboards of the car.
She also said “that she was in fear of Travis because he is on medication and it is affecting his judgment” and told the officer that he had a firearm in the house.
State Trooper Burke, who also assisted the Granville officers, found that the man’s license to carry a firearm had been suspended and, when the victim consented to a search of her home, Rindels reports “several firearm and ammunition” were confiscated after Britt acknowledged that he did not have a valid license to carry a firearm or firearms identification card.
Brit was subsequently charged with kidnapping since the victim said that he had not allowed her repeated pleas to be let out of the vehicle.
He was also charged with assault and battery, assault with a dangerous weapon, two charges of threatening to commit a crime and reckless operation of a motor vehicle.
Subsequently, in a separate case, he was charged with kidnapping, assault and two charges of possession of a firearm without a FID card.
Both cases were adjudicated before Judge Michael Mulcahey but neither the assault with a dangerous weapon charge nor either of the kidnapping charges were prosecuted.
Britt pleaded guilty to the assault and battery charge and one of the threatening to commit a crime charge.
He submitted to facts sufficient to warrant guilty finding for the other threatening to commit a crime charge, the two firearms charges, the assault charge and the reckless operation of a motor vehicle charge and those charges were continued without a finding with probation for two years and he was assessed $50. He was required to pay a total of $400 in probation service fees.
Britt was sentenced to a six-month term in the house of correction, suspended, with probation for two years for the threatening to commit a crime charge he pleaded guilty to.
On January 13, 2014, the victim reported to Granville police that she had been contacted by Britt, who then listed a 31 North Alhambra Circle, Agawam, address, who had sent her several text messages in violation of an active domestic abuse prevention order.
Granville Officer Brian Moore, in a court document, quoted Britt’s message saying “I’m gonna ruin you whole god damn life” and “If you try to screw me, or bring any messages to the cops or whatever that will be the dumbest godamn thing you’ve ever done in your life.”
On Jan. 15, Britt appeared before Judge Philip A. Contant in Westfield District Court for a violation of probation hearing who found that there was probable cause to believe that Britt had violated his probation by violating the protective order and he was held without right to bail.
That same day he was arraigned on the new charges of violation of an abuse prevention order, intimidating a witness and making annoying telephone calls or electronic communication.
He appeared before Judge Paul Vrable on Feb. 11 who found that Britt had violated the probation imposed by Mulcahey and sentenced him to a nine month term, with credit for time served since he was held Jan. 15, in the house of correction.
Vrable also considered the new charges and Britt was allowed to submit to facts sufficient to warrant guilty findings. Those charges were continued without a finding and dismissed.
