Facing charges are Feng Ling Liu, 50, and her husband, Jian Song, 48, both of Sunderland; her daughter Ting Ting Yin, 26, of New Hyde Park, New York, and Shuzi Li, 52, of West Springfield.Faci

SPRINGFIELD - The lawyer for Jian Song, accused of human trafficking, said Thursday his client thought his wife was running legitimate therapeutic massage parlors.

"It was his wife's business," lawyer Colin Keefe said, arguing against the $50,000 bail requested by the prosecution for Song.

Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Vasiliades said when police raided the home Song and his wife share, there was $25,000 in cash, a $31,000 watch and other money orders.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel Ford set the bail at $50,000 saying it could be argued later when Song is arraigned in Hampshire Superior Court on similar charges there.

Keefe said Song has just been able to post the $50,000 bail set in Eastern Hampshire District Court and to set another bail on the cases in Hampden Superior Court would be unfair. He said his client could die in jail given his serious heart condition.

Song and his wife, their daughter and a woman from West Springfield on Thursday in Hampden Superior Court denied charges of human trafficking, prostitution and money laundering.

The four were indicted as a result of an investigation into illegal massage parlors in Hadley, Northampton, Agawam and East Longmeadow.

The four are accused of trafficking as many as 10 women from New York to Western Massachusetts and to Framingham and then forcing them into a life of sexual servitude. The women were required to perform sex acts in exchange for money inside the massage parlors, and were forced to turn over most of the money they made to the accused, according to the Massachusetts attorney general's office.

The indictments were the result of a statewide operation in December targeting massage parlors that resulted in several arrests.

Denying charges Thursday were Song, 48, his wife, Feng Ling Liu, 50, both of Sunderland; her daughter Ting Ting Yin, 26, of New Hyde Park, New York, and Shuzi Li, 52, of West Springfield.

All are charged with trafficking in persons for sexual servitude, money laundering, deriving support from prostitution and keeping a house of prostitution. All but Li are also charged with conspiracy to traffic persons for sexual servitude.

Liu, Song and Yin were accused of bringing women to work as prostitutes in parlors they owned in Hadley, East Longmeadow and Framingham. They family owned Hadley Massage Therapy in Hadley, Feng Health Center in East Longmeadow and Massage Body Work in Framingham.

Li was accused of transporting women from New York City to work in parlors she owned, Pine Spa in Northampton and Agawam Massage Therapy in Agawam.

According to the indictments, 10 victims were identified by law enforcement during the investigation, and authorities while executing a search warrant found a significant amount of cash.

Women brought into the operation often lived in the businesses where they worked, and they were dependent on their employers for groceries, transportation and other needs. The defendants are accused of advertising their services online and setting up appointments with customers, according to officials.

Attorney General Maura Healey issued a statement that said, "Far too often, we are finding that these body works establishments operate as fronts for human trafficking."

She said her office, local and state police would continue to "take down these criminal enterprises and disrupt these business models that are based on making a profit off of the sexual exploitation of human beings."

All defendants but Song have pleaded not guilty in Hampshire Superior Court, Vasiliades said. Song will be arraigned there soon.

Ford allowed her motion to consolidate the Hampden Superior Court cases with the Hampshire Superior Court cases for Li, Liu and Yin. That effectively moves all the Western Massachusetts charges to Hampshire Superior Court.

Vasiliades said she will make the same motion as soon as Song is arraigned in Hampshire Superior Court.

Li and Liu have posted $100,000 bail from the Hampshire Superior Court case, and Yin has posted $20,000 bail. The prosecution didn't ask for any additional bail for them on the Hampden Superior Court cases.

Ford, hearing Liu had posted $100,000 bail, asked why she had a court appointed lawyer. Her lawyer said the bail was gathered from family in China.

Vasiliades said jail calls between Song and another person show he said, "I can't believe they took the watch."

Keefe said he believes "a series of johns" will be called by the prosecution but none will be able to testify about any activities by Song.

He said Song is the only Chinese-speaking person at the Hampshire County Correctional Center. He has been hospitalized several times while in jail.

Song can only communicate with anyone there when employees use the telephone interpretation service, Keefe said.

Keefe said Song came to the U.S. on a visa in 2011 and met Liu. He went back to China, then came here again on a visa, married Liu and got a green card, Keefe said.

"His wife has basically been supporting him," Keefe said.

Vasiliades said Song is a signatory on an account used for a number of items and has a joint credit card used to pay for ads on Backpage for the massage parlors.

Smith & Wesson has 1,758 full-time employees, according to its annual report. Some 1,462 are engaged in manufacturing and most of those workers are at the company's factory on Roosevelt Avenue in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD -- The parent company of iconic gunmaker Smith & Wesson reported quarterly net income of $32.5 million, or 57 cents a share, for its most recent quarter, beating analyst expectations.

That is compared with $31.4 million, or 56 cents per share, for the same time period of last year.

Smith & Wesson's newly renamed holding company, American Outdoor Brands, announced its financial results Thursday after the close of the stock market.

Adjusted for one-time costs associated with buying new businesses, quarterly net income was $37.6 million, or 66 cents per share, compared with $33.2 million, or 59 cents per diluted share for the comparable time period a year earlier.

Quarterly net sales were $233.5 million compared with $210.8 million for the same period last year, an increase of 10.8 percent.

American Outdoor Brands stock was $19.38 Thursday afternoon, well off the 52-week high of of $30.36 a share recorded back in August 2016.

The consensus forecast was for earnings of 41 cents a share, according to data collected by Nasdaq.

Smith & Wesson has 1,758 full-time employees, according to its annual report. Some 1,462 are engaged in manufacturing and most of those workers are at the company's factory on Roosevelt Avenue in Springfield.

Smith & Wesson has been diversifying, trying to branch out into camping, hiking and survival gear as well as gunsmithing supplies and gun accessories. The plan is to get the company off the boom-bust cycle the business of selling firearms themselves seems to follow.

In November, Smith & Wesson finalized its purchase of Ultimate Survival Technologies Inc., called UST Brands, for $32.3 million in cash. UST's products include LED lights, patented all-weather fire starters, unbreakable signal mirrors, outdoor cutting tools, first aid kits, signal whistles and camp kitchen products.

Last summer, Smith & Wesson bought its knife-making partner, Taylor Brands, for $85 million and purchased Crimson Trace, a maker of laser gun sights and other accessories, for $95 million.

James Debney, American Outdoor Brands Corp. president and CEO, said in a news release:

"Today we are pleased to report our third-quarter results, which include a strategic acquisition in the rugged outdoor space, several new product introductions, revenue growth that was on target, and profitability that exceeded the high end of our guidance range. Toward the end of the quarter, consumer firearm purchasing began to cool -- a trend that underscores the importance of remaining focused on our strategy to continue growing and balancing our business across the shooting, hunting and rugged outdoor enthusiast markets. In our firearms segment, we attended the SHOT Show in January, where we launched our next generation, full-size M&P M2.0 pistol, significantly strengthening our growing family of innovative polymer pistols."

Newly acquired Taylor Brands LLC, Crimson Trace Corp. and UST all helped drive growth in sales of products that are not firearms, Debney said. Organic segment revenue growth was 4.8 percent, meaning that was growth in businesses Smith & Wesson was already in and did not buy recently.

Jeffrey D. Buchanan, executive vice president and chief financial officer, said a strong November for gun sales helped offset a weak latter part of the quarter. Both federal NICS background checks for firearm purchases and Smith & Wesson's own firearm product shipments were down.  

"That late-quarter shift in consumer demand patterns has since carried forward into our fiscal fourth quarter," he said in a release.

Gun buyers make purchases when Democrats are in power out of fear that new gun-control measures are in the offing. The win by President Donald Trump, observers say, removes that sense of urgency buyers would heave felt had Hillary Clinton won.

American Outdoor Brands cited the recent declines in gun sales when it cut its full-year earnings guidance. The company now predicts earnings of $2.33 to $2.43 a share for the year that ends in April. Back in December, the company told investors it predicted earnings of $2.42 to $2.47 a share for the fiscal year that ends in April.

The law, which took effect in May, aims to limit the use of painkillers and stem the state's addiction crisis.

BOSTON -- More than 8,000 doctors and other medical professionals have completed a total of 20,000 courses on pain management and prescription painkillers in just the last nine months since the state's newest opioid abuse prevention law went on the books.

"Those numbers are indicative of rising concern," said Rick Gulla, media relations manager at the Massachusetts Medical Society.

In the training, doctors learn the new law and alternative means of treating pain in order to reduce the use of opiates and opioids, Gulla said. Topics include avoiding dependency, managing pain without overusing opioids and the opioid addiction epidemic.

The law, which took effect in May, aims to limit the use of painkillers and stem the state's addiction crisis. Under the law, doctors can prescribe opiates and opioids -- the term for synthetic compounds that mimic opiates -- to those over the age of 18 for just seven days on the first prescription, said Brendan Abel, legislative and regulatory affairs counsel for the Massachusetts Medical Society. The subsequent prescription can be for 30 days, Abel said.

Prescription limits are intended to cut down the number of pills in circulation and make patients check in with their doctors before getting more pills. The law also requires dispensing pharmacies to check patients against a prescription monitoring program to make sure the patient is not doctor shopping just to obtain painkillers.

There are exceptions to the seven-day rule, Abel said. But they are limited to those with pain from an acute medical condition, those managing chronic pain, cancer patients and people receiving the type of palliative care provided most often in a hospice. The law also has an exception for drugs used to treat dependence and to alleviate withdrawal, like methadone or buprenorphine.

Abel said the law includes codeine, an opiate often used in cough medicines. This is the first cough, cold and flu season since the law has been imposed.

Court records say after crashing into the rear of a police cruiser, William Cyr admitted to police he had too much to drink and subsequently failed parts of a field sobriety test.

SPRINGFIELD -- A Chicopee man has been sentenced to state prison after pleading guilty to operating under the influence of alcohol, fifth offense.

William Cyr, of 59 West St., was sentenced Tuesday to 21/2 to five years in state prison by Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney.

Cyr, 66, has 283 days credit on the sentence for time served awaiting trial.

Court records at the time of his arrest say after crashing into the rear of a police cruiser, Cyr admitted to police he had too much to drink and subsequently failed parts of a field sobriety test.

Charges of possession of cocaine and driving under the influence of alcohol while his license was suspended for that same crime were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Cyr was accused of hitting a marked police car on Meadow Street in Chicopee in
May 2016. Officer Joe Pieczarka said he was driving about 20 mph when he was hit. He suffered a minor injury to his arm in the accident while Cyr was unhurt, said Michael Wilk, public information officer for the Chicopee Police Department.

When officer Travis Odiorne responded to Pieczarka's call for assistance with the crash, he interviewed Cyr and found that he smelled of alcohol and his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, court records said.

"I asked William (Cyr) how much he had to drink and he replied, 'Too much, I guess. I'm drunk,'" Odiorne said in court documents.

Cyr also failed a field sobriety test where he was asked to walk toe to heel down a line. When asked if he wanted to try again, he told police: "This is stupid, I'm busted," court records said.

State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump will visit the University of Massachusetts Friday and speak at two events.

AMHERST -- State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump will visit the University of Massachusetts Friday and speak at two events.

At 2 p.m. she will speak in Room S340 at the Life Science Laboratory about how the work of her office impacts public policy and her efforts to promote effective management of public resources to improve public trust in government, according to a press release.

Her appearance is sponsored by the UMass Amherst School of Public Policy. The event is free and open to the public. After the talk, Bump will be available for questions.

She is also speaking at 6 p.m. at a Women in Public Service workshop dinner in the Marriott Center. There she'll talk about her career in public service and the lessons it has taught her.

Bump is a former state representative for the 5th Norfolk District and secretary of labor, and is the first woman elected to be state auditor in Massachusetts.

The US Department of Justice should keep in place a hands-off approach to state marijuana policies, Elizabeth Warren and 10 fellow senators said in a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions Thursday.

The US Department of Justice should keep in place a hands-off approach to state marijuana policies, Elizabeth Warren and 10 fellow US senators said in a letter Thursday.

The letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an opponent of legalized marijuana, comes after Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, suggested "greater enforcement" against states that have legalized marijuana.

Eight states and the District of Columbia allow recreational use of marijuana. The states include Massachusetts, Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Twenty-eight states have medical marijuana laws, while marijuana is decriminalized in 21 states. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

Massachusetts in 'no man's land' on legal marijuana, Gov. Charlie Baker says

A memo issued under the Obama administration said "enforcement of state law by state and local law enforcement and regulatory bodies should remain the primary means of addressing marijuana-related activity."

The senators' letter pointed to remarks President Trump made as a candidate that legalization should be left up to the states and contrasted them with Spicer's comments.

"While we appreciate the Administration's apparent recognition that state-implemented medical marijuana laws are regulated effectively, we believe the same is true of states that regulate recreational marijuana use, and those that have decriminalized use," the senators wrote.

"It is essential that states that have implemented any type of practical, effective marijuana policy receive immediate assurance from the DOJ that it will respect the ability of states to enforce thoughtful, sensible drug policies in ways that do not threaten the public's health and safety," they added, noting that state tax revenue, jobs and small businesses should be protected.

Other senators who signed onto the letter included Ed Markey, D-Mass., Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).

Marijuana attorney: Don't panic (yet) over Trump White House's talk of 'greater enforcement'

Members of 'Divest Smith College' will meet with the Board of Trustees this weekend.

NORTHAMPTON -- Student climate activists are demanding that Smith College withdraw all investments from the fossil fuel industry, and are planning a protest and vigil this evening.

Students will hold a "vigil for victims of climate change and the fossil fuel industry" while organizers with Divest Smith College meet with the college's Board of Trustees, according to Eleanor Adachi, a spokeswoman for the group.

According to Adachi, Smith College has over $100 million invested in the fossil fuel industry, and students have been campaigning for Smith to withdraw the investments since 2012. 

Smith's endowment has a "total fossil fuels exposure of 6 percent," wrote Smith College President Kathleen McCartney in a Feb. 23 open letter to the college community. She said trustees have engaged an investment consultant "to provide an objective analysis" of the potential financial impact of fossil fuel divestiture, and that a report is due this spring.

Smith College spokeswoman Stacey Schmeidel on Thursday said the fossil fuel issue "has received careful attention at Smith," and confirmed that trustees plan to meet with the student divestment group this weekend.

Schmeidel said the Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility , comprised of trustees, faculty, staff and students , is the main body working on the issue.

Smith has also formed a Study Group on Climate Change to develop campus-wide recommendations on sustainability. The trustees will receive that group's report this weekend, she said.

Divest Smith College insists that it wants immediate action.

According to the group, Smith is "providing explicit financial support and implicit moral support to an industry that contributes to climate change, exploits already marginalized people, and corrupts the democratic process."

"Especially under the Trump administration, it is more important than ever that Smith College aligns its money with its morals by divesting from fossil fuels," wrote Adachi.

According to the college, Smith's endowment stands at around $1.7 billion. In 2016, 9.4 percent of the portfolio was invested with managers "whose decisions are guided by environmental, social or governance factors." That number includes $1 million invested in 2014 in a sustainable global equities fund. Investure is the outside firm that oversees Smith's endowment.

The student activists plan to gather at Smith College Campus Center at 4:30 p.m. today, and hold a vigil outside Pierce Hall starting at 5 p.m.

Barbieri said a new police academy class this spring should help the city meets its goal of expanding the police force and its downtown presence.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police Commissioner John R. Barbieri said Thursday he is striving to launch an academy class of 40 to 50 new officers in April as the department continues its quest -- announced nearly a year ago -- to hire 59 new officers.

Barbieri, during a budget hearing with Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the mayor's financial team, said there are many challenges in amassing the large academy class. Challenges include other communities competing for spots and the need to meet Civil Service guidelines and conduct background checks.

Sarno repeated his pledge from past years that public safety is his "number one" priority in budget deliberations. With crime down 13 percent last year, the focus must remain on cracking down on violence, drugs, and crime hot spots and working to enhance quality of life for residents, he said.

The Police Department is requesting a $46,895,407 budget for fiscal 2018, reflecting an increase off $3.7 million over the current year's budget. The new fiscal year starts July 1, 2017.

Barbieri said the positive trends in Springfield are a "group effort" aided by the work of officers, economic development, schools, and the community.

Barbieri said he remains confident the city will reach its goal of 504 sworn officers, as compared to 483 sworn officers in 2014, for a net increase of 21 officers. The 59 new officers over a two-year period fills many vacancies from retirements and other attrition, while creating the 21 new positions, officials said.

The city gained 46 new officers in November of 2016, following a 24-week academy. The initial class numbered 60 officer candidates.

A large academy class is planned again this year to continue to expansion efforts, and to help offset the lost officers in the first academy, Barbieri said. The academy class should be ready for patrols by November, he said.

The plan to hire 59 officers was announced last March and was described as the largest number of new hires in 20 years. The expansion is intended to create a specialized patrol unit that will focus on more officers and greater visibility to increase public safety downtown, officials said.

The expansion is occurring in advance of the opening of the $950 million MGM Springfield casino project, and the cost is assisted by revenue received from MGM Springfield, officials said. Once the casino opens in September 2018, coupled with this year's opening of Union Station, the city is anticipating 4 million additional visitors to the downtown-South End area annually.

Barbieri said department priorities continue to include: neighborhood-based proactive patrols; continuation of C3 anti-gang policing and implementation of the downtown unit with a substation and kiosks; using a staffing formula of 75 percent uniform patrol and 25 percent investigative division and support; enhanced policing strategies through technology; and modern law enforcement training.

Councilors Thomas Ashe and Timothy Allen participated in the budget hearing.

Longmeadow will receive $275,000 once the casino opens to the public.

SPRINGFIELD -- The town of Longmeadow plans to use $7,200 of its of its $100,000 Community Mitigation Fund Reserve to collect traffic data and create a baseline picture of traffic conditions in town now -- before the MGM Springfield project opens.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, meeting in Springfield at the MassMutual Center, approved the plan Thursday by a vote of 5 to 0.

The $950 million MGM Springfield project is now under construction and will likely be done in September 2018.

The study will also compare traffic impacts from non-casino projects.

The money comes out of funds MGM has to pay as part of its host community and surrounding community agreements.

The Surrounding Community Agreement awarded an $850,000 one-time upfront payment to address traffic and roadway infrastructure impacts studied by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and its consultants.

Longmeadow will also receive $275,000 a year once the the casino opens. That sum will see an automatic increase of 2.5 percent per year.

Longmeadow fought hard for the mitigation funds and was especially concerned about the traffic impact on its roads.

A third domestic abuse case is pending in Palmer District Court against former Springfield police detective Steven Vigneault.

This is an update to a story posted at 11:46 a.m.

PALMER -- Court records show former Springfield narcotics detective Steven Vigneault has a third pending domestic abuse case in Palmer District Court.

Vigneault, 46, was arrested Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Springfield on two outstanding warrants for alleged violations of a restraining order obtained by his ex-girlfriend, a Springfield K-9 officer.

He appeared in court Thursday morning after being held overnight behind bars and released on $250 bail, ordered to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.

Vigneault, who is relocating to Texas in five days "for his own safety," according to his attorney, was ordered back in court June 20 in connection with an assault charge on a family member, court records state.

The single misdemeanor charge relates to an alleged dispute he had with a woman on Aug. 17, just days after he resigned from the police force. He was charged with assault and battery on a family or household member.

Court records state the woman told East Longmeadow police she and Vigneault were in an argument over their strained relationship and he threw a cup at her and flipped over the chair she was sitting in, causing her to hit her head on a windowsill.

The woman told investigators she smacked Vigneault in retaliation and he smacked her back, according to police statements. Police did not arrest Vigneault but later filed a criminal complaint against him, records show.

The woman also told investigators Vigneault often staked out her workplace to see whether she left for lunch and with whom, police statements show.

Vigneault was never arraigned on the charge. It was continued under the "Valor Act," a diversion program for combat veterans who struggle with substance abuse or criminal activity after stints overseas. Vigneault is an Air National Guardsman who served as a member of the military police in a combat zone in Afghanistan, he told The Republican in a previous interview.

The third charge came to light during his court appearance Thursday.

He was arrested after meeting with federal prosecutors involved in a civil rights investigation of the Springfield Police Department, according to sources familiar with the probe.

According to his ex-girlfriend, Officer Gail Gethins, Vigneault twice violated an abuse prevention order she obtained in January. She told Judge Michael Mulcahy he began stalking her after she broke up with him.

After she obtained the order, he sent her amorous text messages and later attempted to "FaceTime" her from his son's basketball game. She contacted police on Feb. 26, according to court records.

She first called at 2:38 p.m.

"Her brother was at a basketball game at East Longmeadow High School ... and was approached by Vigneault who said 'hi' to him," police reported.

Police went to the school to question Vigneault but could not locate him, the court record adds.

Vigneault is central to a case that has dogged the police department for months. Four teens allegedly stole an undercover car he left idling outside a Springfield pizza shop on Feb. 26, 2016, police stated previously. A pursuit through two suburbs ended in Palmer where four boys were arrested.

Vigneault was suspected of kicking one of the boys in the face while the boy was in handcuffs on the ground, a police report states. Vigneault denies this and has said his superiors and union officials "bluffed" him into resigning.

The same night, Officer Gregg Bigda was caught on police surveillance video berating and threatening two juvenile suspects.

Both incidents are under review by the FBI and state Attorney General's office.

HAPHousing, the region's largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing, has submitted its application for a Chapter 40B comprehensive permit to build low-income rental units in Ludlow.

LUDLOW -- Town officials are scrambling to get legal advice now that HAPHousing Inc. has applied for a Chapter 40B comprehensive permit to build a low-income housing project in Ludlow.

The Ludlow Board of Selectmen and some town residents have voiced opposition to the project, which calls for building 43 low-income rental units on a 5-acre parcel at 188 Fuller St. Selectmen say the project site near the intersection of Chapin and Fuller streets is inappropriate, citing its proximity to an elementary school and wetlands area.

"I just have a feeling we're grasping here and we don't exactly know what we should be doing, and what's going to happen is this thing is going to steamroll right over us," Selectman William E. Rooney said at the board's last meeting.

"We don't know what we're doing and we better find out pretty darn soon," Rooney said.

"We're working on it," said Town Administrator Ellie Villano, adding that the town needs an attorney to "walk us through the whole process."

Ludlow officials are discussing the possibility of hiring private counsel or using an attorney provided by the state.

"I'm skeptical we're going to rely on someone appointed to us by a state agency," Rooney said. "Call me crazy, but I'm very skeptical."

HAPHousing officials had originally planned to file their application for a comprehensive permit with the Ludlow Zoning Board of Appeals in January. They held off until late on the afternoon of Feb. 16, however, when the application was hand-delivered to the Town Clerk's office.

"All we've been hearing from the applicant, HAP, is that, 'Oh, we're working with the Town of Ludlow,' and you drop off a comprehensive permit at 4 p.m. on a Thursday to the town clerk with no heads-up to the Board of Selectmen's office," Rooney said in an exasperated, incredulous tone.

Chapter 40B, the state's so-called antisnob zoning law, sets a 10 percent affordable housing goal for Massachusetts municipalities and allows developers to override certain aspects of local zoning bylaws to help communities reach that goal.

Only around 2.2 percent of Ludlow's housing is considered affordable, according to the Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing Inventory maintained by the state Department of Housing and Community Development. 

Chapter 40B allows the developer to request and the local ZBA to approve projects with greater density, thereby making it financially feasible to develop affordable housing in a community.

Meanwhile, the first public hearing on HAP's proposed project for Ludlow is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16, at Ludlow High School, 500 Chapin St.

Bruce Singer is indicted on 7 charges related to the sharing and collecting of child porn.

Patrick Johnson | pjohnson@repub.com 

SPRINGFIELD - A 70-year-old Southampton man has been indicted on federal charges relating to the possession and distribution of child pornography, according to the office of acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb.

The indictment, which was unveiled Thursday in U.S. District Court, charges Bruce Singer with five counts of distribution of child pornography and single counts of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

According to prosecutors, Singer engaged in the sharing of electronic files containing child pornography between April 2013 and June 2015. More than a dozen files were also allegedly found on his computer as part of the investigation.

If convicted of trading child pornography, Singer could face up to 20 years in prison for each charge. A conviction for possession of child pornography can result in a 10-year sentence, a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

The investigation that led to the charges was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice program that employs federal, state and local resources to locate, arrest and prosecute those who sexually exploit children.

An elderly Southampton man has been indicted on child pornography charges.

SPRINGFIELD - An elderly Southampton man was charged with child pornography offenses in a U.S. district court in Springfield on Thursday.

70-year-old Bruce Singer allegedly distributed and received child pornography files on several occasions between April 30, 2013, and June 25, 2015. 

In court on Thursday, Singer was indicted on five counts of distribution of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. 

For the charges, he could receive up to 20 years in prison, as well as a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. 

Obituaries from The Republican.

A repeat sex offender from Southampton pleaded guilty to exposing himself in a Northampton store during an incident in August.

NORTHAMPTON - A repeat sex offender with 11 previous convictions admitted in Hampshire Superior Court on Thursday that he had exposed himself during an incident at a Northampton store, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

50-year-old John Steven Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to one count of open and gross lewdness on Thursday.

The charge was related to an incident that occurred on Aug. 30, 2016, during which police were called to the Faces department store in downtown Northampton, where Fitzgerald was reportedly walking around with his hand in his pants, touching himself, according to witnesses.

Fitzgerald later admitted to police that he was in the store and had been intoxicated at the time of the incident.

Fitzgerald is registered as a level 3 sex offender--the type most likely to re-offend, according to the state classification system. 

Fitzgerald's sentencing is scheduled for March 22 in Hampshire Superior Court.

A recommended sentence of five years of probation with numerous stipulations was made by both attorneys present in court on Thursday. 

According to his attorney, Fitzgerald may also be forced to serve two years in confinement because he violated his probation out of Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

A suspect in a New York shooting was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Adams on Thursday morning.

ADAMS - A New York man suspected of carrying out a shooting earlier this year was arrested by U.S. Marshals at an apartment in Adams on Thursday morning, according to David Milne, of the Springfield U.S. Marshals Service.

Jovan Bailey. Lucas Ropek | lropek@repub.com 

29-year-old Jovan Bailey is accused of shooting an unidentified man during an incident on Long Island in January, and is under investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department in New York, according to Milne.

Local authorities were able to track the suspect to a residence on Howland Avenue through a tip provided by U.S. Marshals in New York. Bailey was asleep when Marshals from Springfield and New York surrounded the apartment on Thursday morning.

He was subsequently arrested without incident, Milne said. 

Bailey is currently charged with criminal possession of a weapon and 2nd degree assault. However, he is also scheduled to appear in Berkshire County Superior Court to face fugitive from justice charges.

Eventually, Bailey will be extradited back to Suffolk County, New York. 

The Adams Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police also assisted in Bailey's arrest, Milne said. 

A consultant's report on the potential impact of divestiture is due in the coming months.

NORTHAMPTON -- Students demonstrators on Thursday pushed Smith College's Board of Trustees to remove all fossil fuel investments from the college's $1.7 billion endowment fund.

Divest Smith College held a rally at the campus center on Elm Street and marched to Pierce Hall, where students and others sang protest songs, unfurled a banner, and delivered speeches.

Meanwhile, a five-member negotiating team -- students Caitlyn Perrotta, Dana Barry, Anna George, Kay Colletti, and Misha Ritoch -- walked into the back door of the hall for a scheduled meeting with trustees.

Speakers at the outdoor rally said fossil fuels contribute to climate change, and that poor and minority communities suffer disproportionately.

"We saw this with Hurricane Katrina, where low-income black neighborhoods were destroyed," said one young woman. "We are all complicit in climate change, but those of us with more power bear more responsibility," said another.

Student leader Eleanor Adachi said Smith College has over $100 million invested in the fossil fuel industry.

Adachi said trustees would be asked in the short term to purge a "sustainable investing" account of all fossil fuel holdings. She said the account, created in 2014 with $1 million, "still contains fossil fuel investments."

Divest spokeswoman Victoria Ochoa, a sophomore from Texas, said the group has been working on the fossil fuel issue since 2012, and that progress has been made.

She noted that trustees hired consultants to evaluate the financial impact of divesting from fossil fuels, but said that was 18 months ago, and that no detailed report has been issued.

Ochoa said it's been long enough, and that trustees should commit to an April 1 deadline to make a public statement about divestiture.

Smith President Kathleen McCartney, in a Feb. 23 letter to the college community, said a consulting firm, hired "to provide an objective analysis" of the impact of divestiture, would issue its final report by the end of the fiscal year.

Smith's endowment has a "total fossil fuels exposure of 6 percent," wrote McCartney in her letter. McCartney noted that more than one-third of the college's operating budget comes from endowment income.

Smith College spokeswoman Stacey Schmeidel said Thursday the fossil fuel issue "has received careful attention at Smith," and confirmed that trustees would meet with the student divestment group.

She said the Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility, comprised of trustees, faculty, staff and students, is the main body working on the issue.

In addition, Smith College has formed a Study Group on Climate Change to develop campus-wide recommendations on sustainability, said Schmeidel.

Adachi and Ochoa said trustees will be asked this weekend to issue a statement acknowledging that climate change is real and caused by human activity.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

Massachusetts State Police forces raided two drug houses in Springfield on Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD - Massachusetts State Police forces raided multiple drug houses in Springfield on Wednesday morning, seizing large amounts of heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and cash, according to a statement released by State Police Thursday. 

Police said that search warrants were executed at two separate drug houses in the city on Wednesday, though the locations of the raids were not specified because they are the subjects of an ongoing investigation.   

The primary suspect responsible for the narcotics operations was not found at either of the residences, police said. 

The investigation into the operations started in February, when the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit became aware of narcotics distribution activities occurring at both locations. 

Police said that controlled purchases of narcotics had been made from both locations.

At both drug houses, authorities seized trafficking-weight amounts of narcotics, as well as $3,538 in cash.

In addition to the Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force, a number of law enforcement agencies assisted with the investigation, including the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit, the State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, the State Police C3 Policing Unit, the Hampden County Narcotics Task Force, and the State Police Detective Unit for Hampden County.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse on Thursday, March 2, 2017 saluted City Council Kevin Jourdain who announced on Feb. 21 he wouldn't run for reelection on Election Day Nov. 7 after 24 years on the council.

HOLYOKE -- Clashes and good wishes.

Mayor Alex B. Morse and City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain have disagreed about needle exchange, use of the municipal rainy day fund and the "sanctuary city" concept, among many other issues, but the liberal Morse and the conservative Jourdain occasionally show they can achieve common ground.

Such an instance occurred Thursday as Morse saluted Jourdain, who announced on Feb. 21 that after 24 years on the City Council and the past six as president, he wouldn't seek reelection on Election Day Nov. 7. Jourdain said he appreciated Morse's kindness.

City Council President Kevin Jourdain won't seek reelection after 24 years on Holyoke board, 6 as council leader

More butting heads with Morse is inevitable, since Jourdain remains not only on the city's legislative board but as its leader until early January when his term expires.

But Thursday was about a positive exchange. Morse, who was on vacation when Jourdain stunned colleagues by telling the City Council this term was his last, was asked to comment.

"I join with others in thanking City Council President Kevin Jourdain for his many years of service to the city of Holyoke and its people. Kevin and I certainly had our differences, but that's what democracy is all about, and we shouldn't expect anything less," Morse said in a text message.

"I have tremendous respect for Kevin, and I admire his passion and love for our great city. To dedicate 24 years of one's life to elected office is impressive and noble. I look forward to working with him throughout the remainder of his term," he said.

Jourdain said he appreciated the remarks.

"I thank the mayor very much for his kind words and they are very much appreciated. I know he is as passionate about the city's future success as I am. If I can be of continued service to the city in another capacity I would be honored to step up and help. Holyoke's best days are ahead of us," Jourdain said.

Morse will be running for reelection to his fourth term in the fall. In his first year in office in 2012, the Board of Health with Morse's support voted to establish a needle exchange program. Jourdain responded with a lawsuit that named Morse as a defendant.

Morse said needle exchange was a way to save lives by removing infected intravenous drug needles from the streets. Jourdain filed suit based on objecting to the notion of handing out needles to drug addicts and on the program being approved without a City Council vote.

The state's change in laws that govern needle exhange last year altered the requirements of local approval, and Tapestry Health has been operating a needle exchange program at 15A Main St. since August 2012.

Morse has argued that the occasional use of interest gained by the stabilization, or rainy day, fund is appropriate for this cash-strapped city such as a proposal in December to use such funds to buy police cars.

The City Council usually rejects using the stabilization account as a funding source, with Jourdain and others saying it should be left to accumulate until needed for an emergency.

Morse said in January he would fight President Donald Trump's plan to block federal funding to so-called "sanctuary cities" like Holyoke where police departments do not assist federal agencies in detaining and deporting some immigrants living here illegally.

Jourdain was a Trump delegate to the Republican National Convention. He has asked the city Law Department to file an opinion on whether Holyoke is a "sanctuary city" under federal laws and how much the city could lose in federal funding in relation to the Trump order.

'Sanctuary city' status of Holyoke a question Council wants answered after President Donald Trump order

Jourdain also wants the police chief to report on whether police here have been compliant with federal laws regarding communication between government agencies and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.