Pintado, a University of Massachusetts student and advocate of immigrants' rights, was arrested on charges stemming from an incident in a Hadley parking lot.
Manuel Pintado.HADLEY – Manuel E. Pintado, who is on parole for threatening a Florida state representative, was back in court recently on charges stemming from an incident in a Hadley parking lot.
According to Police Chief Dennis Hukowicz, two Hadley police officers arrived at the Walmart parking lot on July 2 in response to a report of a shoplifter to find a car parked in a fire lane. When the officers asked the woman behind the wheel to move the car, Pintado, 47, approached and started yelling at them to arrest her, Hukowicz said.
Although police advised Pintado to go to the station if he wished to file a complaint, he ignored them and continued yelling at the driver, drawing a crowd. He refused to leave the area when ordered to do so by the officers, Hukowicz said, and when the woman attempted to drive away, Pintado reached into the car and yelled, “I’ll kick your ass.”
Pintado was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, threatening to commit a crime and resisting arrest. He pleaded innocent to the charges on July 5 in Eastern Hampshire District Court and was released on his own recognizance. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 23.
Northampton police arrested Pintado, a Northampton resident, in January after they were alerted by Florida police that he had sent a threatening email to Florida state representative William D. Snyder. Snyder authored a bill aimed at giving Florida law enforcement greater leeway in cracking down on illegal immigrants. Pintado, a University of Massachusetts student and advocate of immigrants’ rights, warned Snyder to back away from the legislation, according to police.
With financial help from First Churches, where Pintado serves as a deacon, he flew to Florida for arraignment on charges connected with the email. Pintado was released and ordered to serve five years probation in May after pleading no contest and apologizing to the judge.
One of the conditions of his probation is that Pintado seek help for his mental health problems. A veteran of the U.S. military, Pintado reportedly suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
