A city man is serving 10 years in prison for assaulting and abducting a woman last September in Pittsfield.
PITTSFIELD – A city man facing ten years in prison has been denied bail for assaulting and kidnapping a woman.
The decision to place Garrett Vil, 31, in court custody was made by a judge after a hearing this week in Berkshire Superior Court. The public prosecutor explained the incident that occurred in September, where Vil allegedly dragged a woman in his car, killed and threatened her boyfriend.
Vil’s lawyer disputed the statement of the DA’s office about the incident, questioning the trustworthiness of the victim.
“This is a case where he dragged (the victim) out of his house without shoes,” said Assistant Attorney General Megan Rose.
Rose said that the incident occurred on September 19, when he said that Vil went to the house of the woman’s mother. affected and asked to talk.
The victim didn’t want to be Vil at first, Rose said, but ended up barefoot. At the time, Rose said Vil allegedly “dragged her in his car” and drove off with her.
The woman’s boyfriend called 911. Rose described the cell phone recording as “cool.” The prosecutor said that Vil told the man that he would kill him if he called the police.
The police responded and met with the woman’s boyfriend, who received a phone call from the man who was involved with the police, said Rose. The woman was with Vil and expressed her disbelief that her boyfriend called the authorities.
Police met Vil and the victim at a Dairy Cone on Tyler Street, the prosecutor said. Trembling and without shoes, the defendant’s eyes looked back and forth and his lip and thigh were injured while he refused to talk to the police.
“He is afraid to say something to the police in front of Mr. Vil,” Rose said.
Rose said the woman eventually reported that Vil had beaten her. The court granted him a restraining order against him. A Berkshire County judge this month indicted Vil on charges of kidnapping and two counts of witness tampering, felonies, as well as charges simple assault and battery and violation of a restraining order.
Rose said he could face up to ten years in prison for the kidnapping charge alone.
Vil pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Tuesday in Berkshire Superior Court, after a preliminary hearing was held to weigh the DA’s office’s request to continue Vil’s detention in the Berkshire County Jail & House of Correction prior to trial.
Prosecutor Katherine Grubbs opposed the request for no bail, arguing that Vil was not a danger to the victim or the community. And even if the court finds Vil dangerous, Grubbs said there are conditions that could ensure he doesn’t harm anyone when he’s released from prison, such as a GPS bracelet or the curfew.
As grounds for requesting his detention, the prosecutor cited Vil’s criminal record, which he said included domestic assault cases. . Three different women had orders against him.
But Grubbs said the victim also has a criminal record, including three counts of theft. According to the woman involved, there are five restraining orders against her, including one of her family.
“This case may not be the only one that may appear,” Grubbs told Judge John Agostini.
However, Agostini denied Grubb’s request for Vil’s release, according to court records. Vil will remain in custody while his case is pending before the court.