GREENFIELD — Police plan to pursue various charges against a local man they say had his child in the pickup truck he was driving when he led authorities on a chase during an attempted traffic stop Wednesday night.
James Gaffey, 39, of Camp Avenue, faces charges that include wanton/reckless behavior creating risk of serious bodily injury to a child and operating with a revoked license for OUI, according to the Greenfield Police Department’s Facebook page. The child is now safe with a family member.
Officer Justin Purinton was reportedly on patrol on Bank Row at approximately 8 p.m. when he noticed a red pickup truck with a number plate violation. He then saw the truck fail to stop for the red traffic light at Bank Row and Main Street, while also turning right from the left-turn-only lane. Purinton pursued the vehicle and called for backup, eventually finding the truck abandoned in the parking lot of the medical building at 48 Sanderson St. A police K-9 from Montague was called in to assist with the search for the operator.
Officers learned the vehicle had recently been sold to Gaffey, who was found and arrested following “a brief investigation.” They also learned Gaffey’s child had been in the vehicle with him while he was fleeing police.
Gaffey is scheduled to be arraigned in Greenfield District Court Thursday. Police say they will seek charges of operating to endanger, illegally attaching plates, failure to stop for police, failure to stop at a red light, intimidation of a witness, marked lanes violation, unregistered motor vehicle, uninsured motor vehicle, number plate violation, marked lanes violation and speeding.
Greenfield Deputy Police Chief Mark Williams said people put themselves and other in danger when they fail to stop for police and try to escape.
“It’s behavior that really creates an unsafe environment for everybody,” he said. “We in Massachusetts are concerned with adults who engage in behavior that directly puts children at risk. That’s clearly what happened here — he put a child at direct risk of harm.”
Information from Recorder reporter Josh Solomon was used in this report.