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Police and Fire

Man smashes car and shop windows with skateboard; is quickly restrained by NPD

by Jason Vanasse and Sky Sutton | Mar 10, 2010 7:11 pm | Comments (0)

Photos by Sky Sutton, words by Hamp Scanner’s Jason Vanasse.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 5 p.m., 56*, Dry & Sunny

While at home with my friend we heard a call come across the scanner for a shoplifter at Pop’s Package Store (now located in the former L&H TV and Appliance. RIP Gary.) Reportedly a Hispanic male in his early 20’s roughly 5’8” weighing in at about 175 lbs had taken a $1.50 22 oz. can of Steel Reserve. He told the cashier “I’m taking this,” and on his way out he kicked the glass front door leaving a spidery crack in the glass.

smash5

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Details of the Baye indictment

by Mary Serreze | Feb 24, 2010 9:40 am | Comments (0)

Photo: The garage at 16 Northern Ave, where three cars were burned on December 27

On Tuesday at Hampshire County Superior Court, a grand jury returned indictments related to the series of arson fires set in Northampton, Massachusetts on December 27, 2009. 25-year-old Anthony P. Baye of 85 Hawley Street was charged with 15 multiple count indictments, ranging from murder to the destruction of a snow globe.

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I am Tony Baye

by R. Joshua Mobley | Jan 17, 2010 1:30 pm | Comments (2)

It was well after midnight in the early hours of 2010, nearing three in the morning. An after-hours party had manifested at the tiny two-bedroom downtown apartment I share with my wife Jessica, and revelry and libations were abundant.

We did not worry about the neighbors (many of whom were present) or whether or not there was enough alcohol to go around.

What mattered to the forty-strong crowd was that we were there, safe, shedding the tired, cracked burden of the Aughts—a decade that began with the “hanging chads” of Florida and ended with our quiet little “Paradise City” being held hostage at the hands of a serial arsonist.

Our best friends were there, some familiar strangers… and Tony Baye.

Tony Baye.

A name now synonymous with fire, terror, fear, confusion, and anger.

But I called him “Tone-Loc.” A high-five, man-hug or fist bump always followed his Cheshire cat grin. I met him at a party a few years back; a party very much like this one.

He and I possessed that infectious rapport of poet-charlatans. We finished each other’s jokes, ogled at passing lasses, and spat Red Sox jargon.

Tony was cool.

Although I was nearly ten years his senior, I looked up to him. He had the bravado and confidence that men needed and women wanted.

His pretty-boy looks and egalitarian charm allowed those who flocked to his side the freedom to be themselves. He was a lover of life.

It is not my place to speculate upon whether Tony was the culprit of some fifteen arson incidents, or the purveyor of two tragic deaths occuring on the morning of an unseasonably wet and balmy December 27th. It is also not my place to try to “paint a picture” of the 25-year-old Northampton native. I was not his Little League coach, high school teacher, best friend, or co-worker. In fact, I didn’t really know him well.

But we, as a community knew him. A sum of the parts we are, and Tony was the squeaky wheel.

The city’s reaction was threefold upon hearing the news of Tony’s arrest on the morning of January 5th:

1) From those who knew him – shock.

“My jaw dropped, my heart sank and I felt numb. He is such a sweet guy with a great heart. In fact, days after his arrest a fairly affluent member of the Granby community who employed Tony very briefly and only knew him a short time was willing to set up a legal fund in his defense. The whole thing is just so sad.” – Jenna Ziemba, friend and co-worker of Tony’s.

2) From many of those who did not – either a “lynch mob” mentality or relief.

“This is a tragedy for all involved. If it is discovered that this “Aspiring Rap Star” is linked with physical evidence he should be hanged on the town common!!!!!!! Or just burned like his victims……………….” – posted by realityflash from MassLive.com
bq. “THANKS TO ALL THE INVESTIGATORS AND OTHERS INVOLVED THAT WORKED DAY AND NIGHT TO SOLVE THIS CASE!” – posted by mn09117 from MassLive.com

3) From those who focused on the community at large rather than on Tony’s guilt or innocence, who garnered support for the arson victims and defended justice and due process for the accused – hope and sympathy.

“The presumption of innocence is a legal right of the accused in criminal trials. It places the burden of proof is on the prosecution.”

“OUTSIDE of a criminal trial, citizens can freely speculate and presume all we want. We CANNOT pursue vigilante justice, but we are free to believe someone is guilty based upon what we’ve seen, read, and think.”

“Of course, my sympathies go out to everyone hurt by the fires, including the Baye family and, if he is innocent, Tony Baye. If he’s guilty, I can still muster some small sympathy.” – posts from the Facebook group Friends Of Northampton’s Arson Victims.

The morning of his arraignment, our cell phones turned to alarm clocks. My wife and I stumbled through a haze of disbelief. We searched the Internet for the most updated story, hit refresh, made coffee and watched the television. Upon the first glimpses of a grey-cloaked scruffy haired “Tone-Loc” being escorted into Northampton’s courthouse, my wife cried and I vacantly stared into my light cream heavy sugar.

Hours passed and I realized that just a few days ago, amidst the clamor of a new year’s toast, Tony was standing right here, in front of our fridge. Exactly where I was standing now while we watched our handcuffed friend exit the free world.

I made a light breakfast and Jessica went back to sleep – a defense mechanism against stress. She worked with Tony at Sierra Grille and always enjoyed the shifts that they shared. I decided to walk the streets of Northampton, hoping it would look different.

I shuffled along, my head swirling in a profusion of emotions. The passersby who all were once suspects in those unsettling days after the fires walked past me; almost every overheard conversation that trailed behind them had the key words of “they caught him” and “arsonist” and “Tony.”

Tony. Anthony Baye. Tone-Loc.

I sat down on a bench and thought of him. I thought of his mother. I thought of the handful of friends I knew that grew up with him.

A friend walked by chatting on his cell phone. His face was animated, as he was most likely reiterating to whomever was on the other end the morning news. He noticed me on the bench and mouthed ‘crazy, huh’ as he walked on by.

Crazy, huh.

Soon thereafter a police officer walked by. Cops. Generally my reaction is to not make eye contact, look the other way, and cross the street. But this morning, something inside of me said out loud, “Good job.” He tipped his hat and walked on.

Why did I say that?

Was I part of the aforementioned category two? Relief? In a way, I supposed I was. I lived in the midst of the deadly blazes, my six-year-old son even closer.

But what if Tony was innocent? In just the few hours since his arraignment I heard so many conflicting reports: first that he confessed to lighting the fire on the porch of 17 Fair Street, and then that he pled innocent in court.

I heard several times that he was pulled over in the vicinity of the fires smelling of alcohol and soaked in water. It was raining and it was after the 2 a.m. last call. Anyone who was out in the rain for more than a minute and had been at any of the dozens of bars in town could have been regarded as a suspect.

Both Mayor Clare Higgins and District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel stated that arson is an extremely difficult crime to crack, with only 11% of all cases being solved nationwide. So given that statistic, how did they come to arrest Tony a mere eight days after that fateful evening? Is law enforcement in this area really that good?

I toiled over these questions then as I do today. The who, what, why, when and where will trouble us for the next couple of months before his next court date, and perhaps months after.

My heart is still heavy, and only the passage of time may make it lighter.

Who are you, Tony?

Who are we, Tony?

Next to the bench, spray-painted in enthusiastic yellow on the side of a Main Street mailbox, were the words We Are Who We Are. That seemed to do just fine for now.

—R. Joshua Mobley

The Night Paradise Burned

by Sky Sutton | Jan 14, 2010 2:12 pm | Comments (2)

“An arrest comes quickly. Some people wonder if it came too quickly. I’m stunned to hear the name Anthony Baye on the radio. I don’t believe it. I must’ve heard that wrong. I run out for a paper. I call my Grandmother.”

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Northampton Fire and Police Chiefs Debrief City Council on Arson Fires

by Mary Serreze | Jan 9, 2010 7:53 pm | Comments (6)

“This was an affront to our community…” — Police Chief Russell Sienkiewicz

At Thursday’s City Council meeting, Northampton Fire Chief Brian Duggan and Police Chief Russell Sienkiewicz provided a debriefing on the work of their respective departments in responding to and investigating a string of arson fires set in the early morning hours of December 27, 2009. Captain John Garriepy, who was the shift commander on the night of the fires, described what it was like for firefighters and dispatchers as 15 structure and vehicle fires were called in within a 75-minute period.

“This is an incident of complexity that really hasn’t been seen in the city in decades,” said Duggan.

Case Against Baye Outlined in Search Warrant Affidavit

by David Reid | Jan 8, 2010 7:05 pm | Comments (3)

In the hours after suspected arsonist Anthony P. Baye was arrested by Northampton police the night of Jan. 4, city police detective Craig R. Kirouac prepared a search warrant request for Baye’s second-floor apartment at 85 Hawley St. (Download returned search warrant affidavit here.)

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Assistant DA Michael Cahillane: Nancy Palmieri for the Globe

by Mary Serreze | Jan 6, 2010 8:12 am | Comments (0)

At yesterday’s arraignment at Hampshire District Court, the media were told to select two photographers, no more, to take pictures inside the courtroom, and to make these photos accessible to all in a pool feed.

Gordon Daniels from the Gazette and Nancy Palmieri from the Boston Globe were given a quick OK from the 18 or so reporters on the scene. Palmieri followed through and sent some great photos around. Here’s one of Michael Cahillane, Northwest Assistant District Attorney, arraigning Anthony P. Baye on charges of murder, arson, and burglary.

Anthony P. Baye, 25, Arraigned in Northampton Fire Deaths

by Mary Serreze | Jan 5, 2010 12:01 pm | Comments (2)

Northampton MA — Anthony P. Baye, 25, of 85 Hawley Street was arraigned this morning at Hampshire District Court on two counts of murder, one count of arson, and one count of armed burglary in relation to a fatal fire set at 17 Fair Street on December 27.

Baye pleaded not guilty to all counts, and is being held without bail pending a March 5 court appearance.

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Arrest Made In Arsons

by Mary Serreze | Jan 5, 2010 6:33 am | Comments (0)

Anthony P. Baye, 25, of 85 Hawley St., has been arrested and will face charges of two counts of murder and one each of arson and armed burglary resulting from the fatal fire at 17 Fair St. on Dec. 27.
Tony Baye’s Facebook Profile

Baye was arrested at about 8 p.m. Monday and is being held at the Northampton Police Department without right to bail, according to District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel.

He is expected to be arraigned today in Northampton District Court.

Baye is a 2003 graduate of Northampton High School, and family has lived in Ward 3 for many years. Baye’s Facebook profile says that he is in the class of ’10 at Holyoke Community College studying Communications and Sports Management. On December 17, Baye posted that he had “just aced his accounting final and is now finished for the semester.”

A Facebook post suggests that Baye attended 2009 HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at the Word War II Club on Conz Street on the night of December 26, described as “an event where the terms “Socially Loose” and “Completely UNEXCLUSIVE” combine to create the peak of partying, the crest of crazy…”

Baye’s most recent post showed that he had joined the facebook group Friends of Northampton Arson Victims.

In earler posts last month Baye said he “doesn’t understand why life has to be so cruel” and that he “is happy to have good friends to help him forget.” Baye, according to his Facebook profile, attended a Mt. Greylock Hike in October.

Gazettenet
ABC 40

MassLive in addition to a story, posted a Facebook photo of Baye:

Images from a Vigil

by Paul Shoul | Jan 3, 2010 11:48 am | Comments (0)

“I knew Paulie and Paul [Yeskie]—they were my late husband’s uncle,” Bernadette Giblin told the crowd. “They were citizens of Northampton; they lived by the river… They were both tremendous builders— Paul Senior a bricklayer, and young Paul a casketmaker… in the past week we have also come to learn how they were builders of relationships.”

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Vigil for Paul and Paulie Yeskie

by Mary Serreze | Jan 3, 2010 9:49 am | Comments (0)

Video courtesy of North Street Neighborhood Association.

Paul and Paulie Yeskie, an 81-year-old man and his 39-year-old mentally disabled son, died when their 17 Fair Street home was set on fire on Decemeber 27. Late Saturday afternoon, as the sun was going down, a group gathered in front of the First Churches at 129 Main Street in Northampton to memorialize the lives of the Yeskies. Bernadette Giblin, whose late husband was nephew to the elder Yeskie, spoke.

Northampton Gathers at the College Church in the Wake of Arson Fires

by Mary Serreze | Dec 31, 2009 3:38 pm | Comments (0)

Here’s complete video of the citizens’ meeting convened at the College Church on Pomeroy Terrace in the wake of the December 27 arson fires in Northampton. The Ward Three Neighborhood Association organized the event, which drew more than 400 people. Video courtesy of North Street Neighborhood Association.

Northampton Neighbors Relief Fund to Aid Fire Victims

by Press Release | Dec 31, 2009 2:30 pm | Comments (0)

The Northampton Neighbors Relief Fund, administered by the United Way, is accepting donations for those families affected by the December 27 fires in Northampton.

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Remembering Paul “Paulie” Yeskie Jr.: Northampton’s number one Polka fan

by Vincent Bator | Dec 31, 2009 8:58 am | Comments (0)

“I didn’t personally know Paul “Paulie” Yeskie Jr., but he came into my periphery about the time I started to document the Western Mass. polka scene in video and photographs some years ago… At polka festivals, Yeskie Jr. was the last man standing on the dance floor, having exhausted all available dancing partners. The pure joy that I saw in his face, hopping around the dance floor to an oberek or waltz is now both heartbreaking and a reaffirmation of the human spirit to me. I’m going to miss Paulie at the next polka festival.”

Northampton Citizens Express Fear, Anger, and Insecurity in Wake of Fires

by Paul Shoul | Dec 30, 2009 10:32 am | Comments (2)

Photos copyright Paul Shoul; reporter Jendi Reiter contributed to this story. Shoul’s photo blog can be found at Round World Photo.

Naomi Cairns of 10 Highland Avenue, who had lost her Hawley Street home to fire in 2007: “I came home to find my house on fire for the second time.”

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