WESTFIELD – Two men were in court Tuesday after causing a chaotic scene Monday night when they put explosive devices out on Woodmont Street.
Patrick J. Baker, 19, of 88 Woodmont St., was released on $1,000 personal surety after he was arraigned in Westfield District Court on four counts of secreting/throwing/launching/placing explosives and four counts of discharging/igniting/exploding explosives.
Media partner, WWLP, reported that Sean Barrett, 18, was also arrested Monday night. A clerk from the Clerk’s Office said two defendants were arraigned on Tuesday, but she did not have the second defendant’s file available Wednesday afternoon.
Westfield police were called to 88 Woodmont Street Monday evening after a resident found “a plastic bottle in front of her house that was foaming at the cap” with “silver pieces inside of it,” according to court records.
Four bottles were found, one on the property of 83 Woodmont and three on the property of 88 Woodmont.
Police notified the Massachusetts State Police bomb squad who deployed its robot that “rendered (the bottles) inert,” according to court records.
One of the defendants told his mother that he had searched on YouTube how to make bombs and placed the bottles outside, court records state.
The first charge of placing explosives, is found in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 266, Section 102A and states defendants: “shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than 2 and one-half years in the house of correction or for not less than 10 years nor more than 25 years in the state prison or by a fine of not more than $25,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment,” according to malegislature.gov.
The second charge of exploding devices, called “Malicious explosion” is found in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 266, Section 102B: “Whoever, without lawful authority, willfully discharges, ignites or explodes any destructive or incendiary device or substance shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison by not less than 15 years nor more than 25 years or by a fine of $50,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment,” according to malegislature.gov.
Baker and his co-defendant are due back in court for a pretrial hearing on June 24.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter @charnoskyWNG
