Emmanuel Bile, one of four Pittsfield men charged with raping a University of Massachusetts student in her residence hall on Oct. 13, was granted a reduced bail Tuesday by Hampshire Superior Court Judge Daniel Ford, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.
The bail, originally set at $10,000 on Oct. 22 for all four alleged perpetrators by Eastern Hampshire District Court Judge Mary Hurley, was lessened to $3,500 after Bile’s attorney, David Pixley, of Pittsfield, argued in defense of his client’s relatively clean criminal record.
Bile, 18, Justin King, 18, Adam Liccardi, 18, and Caleb Womack, 17, none of whom are UMass students, all pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape. Liccardi also pleading not guilty to another rape count in Eastern Hampshire District Court last week.
If Bile’s bail is posted, he must meet with a probation officer in Pittsfield, wear a GPS monitor and follow a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. at his parent’s house, according to the release.
Womack’s attorney, Raymond Jacoub, of Pittsfield, sought to lower his client’s bail to $1,000, because the 17-year-old has no prior record and “comes from a family of limited financial means,” according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Jacoub also argued the Oct. 13 alleged incident was not a rape. Judge Ford denied the request.
The four alleged perpetrators, who were said to have known the alleged victim, traveled to the UMass campus on Friday, Oct. 12, according to Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Suhl. Three of the four suspects were signed in by a stranger, who was not identified by UMass police. Suhl said the suspects consumed alcohol with the alleged victim and then raped her.
The 18-year-old alleged victim reported the rape incident to the UMass Police Department on Oct. 14, a day after it allegedly occurred.
All defendants are expected to return Dec. 10 to the Eastern Hampshire District Court and are also expected back to the same court this Thursday in relation to civil restraining orders sought by the alleged victim, according to the release.
Chelsie Field can be reached at [email protected].
