GREENFIELD — A local man was sentenced to five to seven years in prison after pleading guilty on Wednesday to 14 charges stemming from a pair of incidents two years ago, including a shooting in Energy Park.

Gabe M. Adams, 21, appeared in Franklin County Superior Court to change his plea as part of an agreement with prosecutors. Represented by defense attorney Nora Leovich, Adams admitted to his role in assaulting and kidnapping someone in order to steal nicotine products and marijuana from the victim’s Bernardston home in May 2022 and in discharging a firearm at Energy Park in July of that year. Judge Jeremy Bucci took into account Adams’ young age and lack of prior criminal history when issuing the sentences.

“I think this is a fair and equitable result,” he said.

For the May 2022 incident, Adams pleaded guilty to assault and battery, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, armed assault with intent to rob, kidnapping, larceny in a building, intimidation of a witness and home invasion. For the Energy Park incident, he pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted assault and battery by discharging a firearm and single counts of assault and battery by discharging a firearm, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm and tampering with evidence. His sentences will run concurrently, or at the same time.

Assistant District Attorney Joseph Webber told Bucci that each of the charges was egregious enough to warrant sentences that run consecutively, meaning one begins after another ends. He also told the Greenfield Recorder that Adams will be on probation for two years once he is released from the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster. Adams will receive credit for the 793 days he had been incarcerated since his arrest.

Webber told the court that on May 8, 2022, Adams and three others arranged to meet a young man to buy nicotine products and marijuana, only to assault him, hold him at gunpoint and force him to drive back to his home so they could steal more products. Webber said the victim’s two younger brothers were home at the time and the assailants threatened the victim to intimidate him into not calling police.

As for the July 14, 2022, incident, Webber said Adams was walking through Energy Park with friends when he got into a verbal dispute with another man. Adams then fired multiple shots from a handgun, with the final shot kicking up debris that injured the other man’s foot. Adams ran from the scene, changed his clothes and tampered with evidence in an attempt to deceive authorities searching for him. Webber said a police K-9 later found Adams’ backpack, which contained the clothing the defendant had been seen wearing.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-930-4120.