Deerfield man charged with secret recording

By JOSHUA SOLOMON

Staff Writer

Published: 08-03-2018 9:54 PM

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Three town employees were recorded without their consent by a resident who has a no-trespass order to enter Town Hall, according to charges filed by the Deerfield Police Department in district court.

Michael Killeen, 38, of Sunderland Road is being charged with five counts of unlawful wiretapping for incidents that allegedly occurred in 2017. The charges were brought to Greenfield District Court in late March of this year.

Killeen was arraigned April 24 and pleaded not guilty. A pretrial conference court date took place June 25 and is expected to continue Tuesday.

The complaint was brought by Deerfield Police Chief John Paciorek Jr. on March 26, following an interaction with Killeen in which he had allegedly offered the police chief recordings he took of town employees. At the time, Killeen had been asking Paciorek to lift his no-trespass order. According to court documents, Killen showed the chief the recordings to demonstrate that he was not a threat.

Town employees had told police they had received threats from Killeen, including an incident following a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting when he allegedly said he’d drive his truck through Town Hall the next day.

Killeen has had a history of disputes with the town over his property, which is across the street from Mount Sugarloaf off Route 116.

In 2015, following complaints and a meeting with the zoning board, the Planning Board decided to allow a sign advertising James Pasiecnik’s Whately farmstand to remain on Killeen’s property.

In 2013, Killeen claimed the state Department of Transportation was flooding his property over a drainage dispute involving the alteration of curbs for the road. The state disputed this assertion at the time.

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In May, an issue related to this reared its head again with the zoning board, when Killeen appealed a letter dated Nov. 16, 2017, from Building Commissioner Kyle Scott.

Scott asserted that Killeen had been diverting stormwater to a public or private property, according to minutes from the May meeting. While the board did not plan on hearing this appeal since it was past the timeframe in which it could be made, Scott decided to let the appeal proceed, the minutes read. The appeal was eventually denied by the board, unanimously.

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