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Posted by: Mikey682

Suspect confesses to sanctuary fire
Saturday, September 04, 2004
By CAROL MALLEY
cmalley@repub.com

PALMER - A man who is a volunteer firefighter in Hampden and a civilian dispatcher for the town's Police Department confessed to burning down a building at the Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, saying he was excited by the sight of fire, Hampden Assistant District Attorney Brett J. Vottero told a Palmer District Court Judge yesterday.

Charged with arson in connection with the Wednesday fire in Hampden was Derek Anti, 22, of 158 Stafford Road, Hampden. Anti is a full-time dispatcher, volunteer firefighter and part-time police officer for the town. He pleaded innocent yesterday, and Judge Patricia T. Poehler ordered him held without right to bail until a hearing can be held on whether his release would pose a danger to the community.

In his confession, Anti indicated an "excitement that came to him from seeing a fire," Vottero said, in arguing that the suspect be held without the right to bail.

Vottero said Anti is a suspect in other blazes in the town, but he did not identify what fires.

Fire Chief Peter Hatch said Thursday that an investigation remains open into a 2002 house fire that occurred nearby on Glendale Road, which borders the sanctuary.

Neither Hatch nor Police Chief Douglas Mellis could be reached for comment yesterday on what background checks were done on Anti.

Anti, who stood in the court- room with his head bowed throughout his arraignment, is being held at the Hampshire House of Correction. A dangerousness hearing is scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m. in District Court.

Anti's lawyer, William J. Fennell of West Springfield, argued for Anti's release pending trial, saying the accused could be confined to his home and required to report to the court daily.

"He is not charged with anything else," Fennell said, referring to Vottero's comments about other fires.

He said Anti offered to take a lie detector test with respect to any other fires, but police chose not to administer one.

Poehler agreed to allow Anti to be held in the Hampshire County House of Correction rather than the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow where he could be exposed to inmates he dealt with as an employee of the Hampden Police Department.

Vottero said Anti made a tape recorded confession stating that he used gasoline to set the fire in the rear of the Laughing Brook building. Police recovered the container, Vottero said.

The trial will eventually be held in Hampden Superior Court in Springfield, Vottero said.

The 2:20 a.m. fire destroyed the 13,000-foot structure which once housed an education center and gift and book shop owned by the Audubon Society. The facility has been empty for more than a year, and was uninsured, a society spokeswoman said Thursday

Posted Sat 04 Sep, 2004 17:38:

Give me a f*cking break, this teabag gets a police job? I hope heads roll for this one

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Posted by: RPD931

Quote:

Give me a f*cking break, this teabag gets a police job? I hope heads roll for this one

I believe the correct term is he "Had a Police job".... And I'm sure it will be his last...

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Posted by: stm4710

Excuse me for a moment.

But how the hell can losers/criminals like this be Aux. cops and dispatchers and firefighters and someone who is clean, honest and hard working cant get hiered!!!!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ok now back to your regular stm.

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Posted by: jason

ok.ok. i happen to know the person in question here. he knew his job well and was very good at it. you NEVER would have expected him to do something like this.

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Posted by: JohnBarleycorn

Quote:

Originally Posted by jason @ Sun Sep 05, 2004 9:05 am ok.ok. i happen to know the person in question here. he knew his job well and was very good at it. you NEVER would have expected him to do something like this.

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Posted by: MCOA41

This guy was a part time officer (not and Aux or Spec) prior to taking on the Full-Time Dispatch job. I got passed over for this job so they could hire him.

Oh well I am in the Middle East making more $$$$ and having a great time.

Jake sorry we missed each other in Bahrain. Spent most of my time at Ric's.

Posted 05 Sep 2004 19:02:

Hey didn't Hampden or a small town around Hampden have a cop in the academy back in the 90's that was arrested at the WMLE Academy for the same thing?

If I remember correctly the officer involved in that one was under investigation but still hired and put through the academy. I am told the tehn CHief had to go to the academy to arrest his officer.

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Posted by: Mikey682

no way! I never heard that story....what happened? was it Hampden?

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Posted by: rpd1603

I worked with this guy, like Jason said you would have never guessed he was like this.

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Posted by: dcs2244

Yeah, that kid was in the 22nd MPOC...it involved a couple of other guys (not po's), all members of the same gym and was fraught with sexual connotations of the....well, you get the idea.

He was arrested at the academy...I think the class was about half way through. I spoke to members of that class and they said the same: 'you never would have expected it'.

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Posted by: Mikey682

The one arrested at the academy back in the day, did he get convicted of anything?

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Posted by: MCOA41

HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS (WWLP)- A civilian police dispatcher and volunteer firefighter from the town of Hampden is being sent to a psychiatric facility. That was the decision of a judge after the man was accused of setting fire to a building in town. Derek Anti looked perhaps younger than his 22 years as he appeared in Palmer District Court. The Hampden Police Department says Anti confessed to burning down an historic building at the Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary. The fire happened September first. The next night Anti was arrested and charged with the crime. Prosecutors originally wanted Anti held without bail as a dangerous person, but his attorney and prosecutors agreed instead to have Anti sent to a psychiatric unit at UMass Medical Center in Worcester for treatment and evaluation. Anti was also ordered to post $4,000 dollars bond. Another restriction: if he's released from the psychiatric facility he's to report immediately to the home of his parents, and then report to court the next business day.

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