GREENFIELD — A Bernardston man was sentenced to five to seven years in prison on Thursday after a jury last month convicted him of witness intimidation and violating a restraining order.

Antonio P. Candello, 53, will be transferred to the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, where he will receive 451 days of credit for the time he has been incarcerated without the right to bail since his arrest. He was arraigned in Greenfield District Court in September 2022 but was indicted by a Superior Court grand jury due to his case’s severity. In January, he was ordered held without the right to bail due to a potential danger posed to the public.

As part of an agreement with the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, Candello was sentenced to five to seven years for the witness intimidation charge and 2½ years for the restraining order violation. These sentences will be served concurrently.

The prosecution agreed not to pursue a habitual criminal status for Candello. This would have mandated a 10-year minimum sentence.

Defense attorney Daniel Solomon acknowledged Candello is “not the easiest of clients” — he repeatedly interjected with statements during Thursday’s sentencing — but said he is not a bad person.

“Inside this individual is the kernel of a very good man,” Solomon told Judge Karen Goodwin. “He gets in his own way.”

Solomon reiterated this point to the Greenfield Recorder after the sentencing, saying Candello has had a difficult life but that he truly cares about his children.

Assistant District Attorney Erin Aiello, who prosecuted the case, told Goodwin the DA’s office felt probation would do nothing to ensure the safety of Candello’s family.

“When someone commits the crime of intimidation of a witness, it affects the integrity of our judicial system and impacts the safety of our community,” Aiello wrote in an email after the sentencing. “The commonwealth was pleased that the defendant was held accountable for his actions and held accordingly.”

In October 2021, Candello was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty in Superior Court to one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, one count of strangulation (subsequent offense), two counts of assault and battery on a family member (subsequent offenses), and two counts of witness intimidation. The charges stemmed from a May 2019 incident in which Candello strangled a family member before fleeing into the woods, cutting off his court-ordered ankle monitoring bracelet and taking refuge in an abandoned cabin where authorities later found him.

Candello was released from prison on Sept. 9, 2022, following 11 months behind bars, because of days of credit he had accrued while held without the right to bail.

Bernardston Police Sgt. John Richardson reported he was driving a police cruiser on Route 5 at 5:20 p.m. nine days later, when he noticed an unfamiliar Toyota Prius in the driveway of a home inhabited by the family member Candello’s restraining order aimed to protect. Police were monitoring the residence because of the restraining order. Richardson’s police report stated he stopped at the home and met a man he was unfamiliar with. The man stated he had delivered groceries and was “helping out.” Richardson reported the individual to be nervous and fidgety.

The following morning, Richardson reported, the family member visited the Police Station and explained Candello had been in the woods behind her house when Richardson stopped by the day before. She said the man who had dropped off groceries had brought Candello to the house and Candello had been hiding next to a treehouse at the property’s northern end. This incident resulted in the witness intimidation and restraining order violation charges.

Candello was arrested at a Turners Falls Road home, where he was staying despite his residence being listed on the sex offender registry as Carriage Lane in West Springfield. Authorities detained Candello as he tried to exit through a side door. Candello reportedly became irate and resisted arrest.

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