Bristol DA seeks tougher firearm penalty

Bristol District Attorney Samuel Sutter thinks that carrying a gun illegally makes a person a danger to the public, and he will be arguing that Monday in the state's highest court. But defense attorneys say he has gone too far in his zeal to fight crime. Sutter has been asking courts for dangerousness hearings when defendants face firearms charges such as illegally carrying guns or possessing high-capacity guns. After a dangerousness hearing, a judge can order a defendant held without bail for 90 days because he or she is a danger to the public. Lawyers on the other side think Sutter's interpretation of the law is incorrect. They say carrying a gun illegally is not a crime that should allow prosecutors to ask for someone to be held without bail.

Richard Vitale, the accountant and campaign treasurer for House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, will be arraigned Monday, the attorney general's office announced yesterday. Vitale, 63, was indicted Dec. 18 on charges of violating lobbying and campaign finance laws stemming from work on behalf of a ticket broker organization. He is accused of secretly pushing legislation on behalf of the brokers, which included directly lobbying DiMasi and House Speaker pro tempore Thomas Petrolati on several occasions. Vitale's lawyer, Martin Weinberg, described the charges last month as regulatory offenses and maintained that his client had done nothing wrong. The arraignment is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in Suffolk Superior Court.

Firefighters from communities across the region converged on downtown Yarmouth to battle a six-alarm blaze yesterday in a building housing more than 20 businesses on US Route 1. Firefighters from as far away as Windham and Portland were assisting. Firefighters were alerted about 8:30 p.m. (AP)

Police said a disabled man was left alone for almost two hours in a service van after the driver parked it for the night. The Standard Times of New Bedford reported yesterday that the driver told Fairhaven police she forgot the 24-year-old man Monday evening until she got a call from her manager. Police said the man, who has cerebral palsy, suffered a drop in body temperature. He is recovering at home. Police found him in the vehicle at the lot of the nonprofit Community Connections agency. His parents had reported him late getting home. The man's father said his son is legally blind and can do "almost nothing for himself." Fairhaven Police Chief Gary Souza said the driver has not been charged but an investigation is continuing. Sue Johnson, the Community Connections' chief operating officer, said the driver has been suspended. (AP)

Police were investigating a small explosion that forced the evacuation of a Starbucks coffee shop on Providence's East Side. Police Major Thomas Oates said investigators believe someone set off a homemade incendiary device in a plastic soda bottle as a prank on Thursday night. About 20 to 30 customers were inside the Thayer Street shop when the explosion happened just before 11 p.m. No one was reported injured and Oates said the only damage was minor charring on the floor. Starbucks spokeswoman Deb Trevino said the company received no phone calls, threats, or other information that lead them to believe they were targeted by a bomb maker. (AP)

The People's Food Pantry is in danger of closing unless it can find a new home, just when the need for its services is growing. Carol Purcell of the nonprofit pantry told The Berkshire Eagle newspaper that the organization must vacate its town-owned space by the end of February because the building has been sold to a developer. Pantry operators are meeting with town officials next week to discuss new locations. The pantry has been paying the town $1 per month in rent at its current location. (AP)