GREENFIELD — Accused of driving off after allegedly hitting two women with his vehicle and fleeing the scene last year, 56-year-old Greenfield resident Vladimir Sinigur was given back his passport and driving privileges at his arraignment in Franklin County Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon.
Greenfield Police arrested Sinigur last October not long after he allegedly struck two women with a gray Toyota Tundra pickup truck near the intersection of Country Club Road and Brookside Avenue.
Sinigur, at his arraignment in Greenfield District Court last year, was released on $1,000 bail under the conditions that he surrender his passport and abstain from driving. He was charged with two counts of leaving the scene of personal injury, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and one count each of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of property damage.
Although both the prosecution and Sinigur’s attorney Neil Smith agreed to the defendant’s continued release during Tuesday’s discussion in court, Smith argued that Sinigur be allowed to drive, as the Registry of Motor Vehicles reissued his driver’s license, and that Sinigur be able to keep his passport, as he has appeared for all of his scheduled court appointments and wishes to travel domestically to visit family.
“The truth of the matter is that [Sinigur’s] license had expired because of vision issues. He had to see a specialist optometrist and he got the proper glasses. … He has a family to provide for. He’s a hard-working man; he does concrete work and masonry, and getting to these job sites, it’s very difficult while he’s asking his family and friends and other people to get him there to provide for his family,” Smith said before Judge John Agostini. “If the RMV has determined that he’s not a public risk, then I’m afraid what the commonwealth is asking this court to do is issue a punitive condition, which is really against due process rights.”
Arguing that Sinigur’s original bail conditions be maintained, Assistant District Attorney Tom Robinson said witnesses reported seeing the truck speeding prior to the pedestrians being struck, that the two victims suffered “life-changing” injuries as a result of being hit and that Sinigur allegedly “sped off” after striking the pedestrians.
“[Sinigur] did not make himself known. He didn’t check on the well-being of the two individuals that he struck and, frankly, it was only as a result of rapid and excellent police work on behalf of the Greenfield Police Department, in cooperation with the Deerfield Police Department, that the defendant before you was identified and located later that day,” Robinson said. “Given the egregiousness of the conduct, as well as the defendant’s lack of willingness to accept any responsibility [or] take any accountability in the moment for what he had done, we would suggest to the court he presents a danger to the community public safety and he should not be operating motor vehicle at this time.”
Arguing for Agostini to uphold the District Court’s decision that Sinigur surrender his passport, Robinson mentioned concern that the defendant might flee the country. Smith, however, noted that although his client is of Russian origin, he is an American citizen without dual citizenship anywhere else, and he has not missed any of his scheduled court appearances. Smith said his client would be willing to comply with conditions stating that he must notify the court of any planned out-of-state trips.
When Agostini asked Smith why his client needed a passport to fly within the country when a REAL ID could be used to board a domestic flight, Smith responded that his client’s driver’s license is not a REAL ID.
“He would like his passport back so that he could use it to travel to see the family in California, North Carolina. It can be a condition, if this court sees fit, that he stay domestically,” Smith said. “He would also be happy to alert probation of any travel plans that he has — what flight numbers, where he’ll be staying and how long he’ll be gone for. When it comes to his traveling, he hasn’t missed any court appearances in District Court, and we’ve been at this for a year now.”
Agostini also asked Robinson why the state had charged Sinigur with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, noting that the charge requires that the driver intentionally struck the two women with the truck. Robinson responded that one of the victims reported that the defendant was “seemingly intentionally driving toward [the two women].”
Ultimately, Agostini ruled that Sinigur remain released on his previously paid $1,000 bail and not have to surrender his driving privileges or passport. Sinigur is expected to return to court for a pretrial conference on Nov. 7, with a trial expected to begin in March.
“I don’t believe in interfering with the registry’s job in determining who should be safe to drive, except under new and unusual circumstances, which we don’t have in this case,” Agostini said. “I don’t think taking his passport means anything. People flying to Russia today are doing it with great risk — I don’t think he’s going to be fleeing that way, particularly since he’s been here and works here.”
