Worcester Students Could Be Held for 120 Days As a Result of Firearms Arrests

Thursday, September 03, 2015
Patrick Sargent, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Worcester students facing firearm charges stemming from arrests last week will likely face a dangerousness hearing that could result in the students being held in juvenile detention for up to six months.

Three students - two 18-year-old males and one 17-year-old female - attend Worcester high schools and were arrested for possession of firearm during two separate incidents. The two incidents yielded six arrests.

"In loaded guns and gun firing arrests, we ask for dangerousness hearings. We consider that person to be dangerous and we ask the judge to hold them up to 120 days," said Tim Connolly, Director of Communications for the Worcester District Attorney's Office.

“In some cases, we’ve been very much the beneficiary of the District Attorney’s office conducting these dangerous hearings on these teenagers arrested for gun possession,” said School Safety Liaison Robert Pezzella. “If we have any students that are actively attending our schools arrested for possession of firearms, and if they are proven dangerous following the hearing, they will most likely be held for an extended period of time.”

The District Attorney’s office communicates with WPS and asks whether or not the school system advocates for a dangerousness hearing. 

“The DA’s office is an extremely important part of Worcester Public Schools,” said Pezzella. “They’re they ones who will communicate with us and tell us if there’s a student that’s before the judge for a violent crime.”

"We ask for hearings when we feel as there is no way to protect the public from the defendant. They're considered dangerous and the potential exists that someone could get killed or they could hurt themselves," said Connolly.

Multiple Arrests Last Spring

Towards the end of last school year there were multiple arrests at and near Worcester high schools for firearm possession.

As GoLocalWorcester reported in April, a gun was found in a locker at Burncoat High School in Worcester. The student, who was a minor, was arrested.

Two weeks later, on April 29, a total of six students, five at Worcester Tech and one at Burncoat High School, along with another individual were arrested after being in possession of weapons just outside their respective schools.

The five Tech students were in possession of pellet guns and knives. The student from Burncoat High and another man were arrested across the street from the school where police found a loaded handgun the pair had discarded trying to flee.

What Happens Next?

Following the District Attorney's request for a dangerousness hearing in juvenile court, the DA and the defendant will have to agree on bail. "We always ask for a high bail to make sure they come back to court on their next date," said Connolly.

"No amount of bail money will keep the public safe," Connolly added.

At the conclusion of the hearing, if the perpetrator is deemed dangerous, then the judge can hold them for up to 120 days in detention. According to Connolly, quite often juveniles in this situation will be held for the whole 120 days. 

“Upon their return to the community, and if they wanted to return to the school system, the principal has the authority under the law to conduct long-term suspension hearings on these students and get them removed from our schools for a period of up to one year,” Pezzella added.

According to Pezzella, there hasn’t been anyone recently that has tried to return to a public school in the city after being arrested for violation of a weapons charge.

“We will be vigilant with these perpetrators of gun violence and possession of weapons, because we know that eventually they will return to the community,” said Pezzella. “We need to be prepared to make sure that we know when they re-enter our school system we take the proper precautions.”

Principals Take Lead

According to WPS, the principals know which students in the community are considered “high-risk.” With a school safety police liaison in place at each high school, principals and officers communicate with one another who these students are and pay close attention to them.

In order to be considered for a return to school following any jail time or school suspension, the student, parents, principal and liaison officer will hold a meeting. The parents are required to attend the meeting and the student will not be allowed in the building without a parent. “The principal will insist that the parent come back to the school with their son or daughter, to make sure they’re there for the re-entry meeting to discuss a safety plan,” said Pezzella

The District Attorney's office will work closely with the school system and police department and will be asked to weigh-in on the situation, but ultimately the decision comes down to the principal at the student's original school and the school department whether or not a child is welcome back into the school community. According to Pezzella, the student will be placed in an alternative school and won't be sent back to the school that they came from.

Pezzella said, "No principal will allow a student back into their school that has been involved in a violent crime or has been a victim of a violent crime."