GREENFIELD – A Bernardston man pleaded not guilty in Franklin County Superior Court on Monday to witness intimidation and violating a restraining order aimed at protecting a family member he previously pleaded guilty to strangling.

Antonio P. Candello, 52, was arraigned in Greenfield District Court in September but has since been indicted by a Superior Court grand jury due to the case’s severity. A dangerousness hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23 to determine if Candello can be held without the right to bail for up to 120 days.

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 (a 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 his wife before fleeing into the woods, cutting off his court-ordered ankle monitoring bracelet and taking refuge at an abandoned cabin where authorities later found him.

Candello was released from prison on Sept. 9, following 11 months behind bars, because of days of credit he had accumulated while held without the right to bail, according to the Northwestern district attorney’s office. 

Bernardston Police Sgt. John Richardson reported he was driving a police cruiser south on Route 5 at 5:20 p.m. on Sept. 18 when he noticed an unfamiliar black Toyota Prius in the driveway of a home inhabited by the family member Candello’s restraining order aims to protect. Police were monitoring the residence because of a restraining order. Richardson’s report states he stopped at the home and met a man he was unfamiliar with. The man stated he had delivered groceries and was “just 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 was allegedly immediately before Richardson stopped at the home.

Due to Candello’s history of violence and fleeing from police, Richardson enlisted neighboring agencies and the State Police in finding Candello 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. He was told he was being taken into custody for failing to notify the registry about his change of address. Candello reportedly said he stays “in several places.”

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

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