Lawmakers Push To Impeach Salem Judge

SALEM, MA — A group of Republican lawmakers is calling for the impeachment of Salem Superior Court Judge Timothy Feeley. Feeley, who was appointed by former Gov. Deval Patrick, made headlines this week when he ignored a prosecutor's request to impose a jail sentence for a convicted drug dealer.

Representatives Jim Lyons (R-Andover), Shaunna O’Connell (R-Taunton), Geoff Diehl (R-Whitman), Kevin Kuros (R-Uxbridge), David DeCoste (R-Norwell), and Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick) are working on a bill that would impeach Feeley.

The bill, HD 4822, was filed by Lyons on Thursday. There is also an online petition calling for Feeley's removal from the bench.

Earlier this week Feeley refused to impose a one- to three-year prison sentence on Manuel Soto-Vittini, 32, of Peabody, saying he didn't deserve jail time after pleading guilty to a charge of drug possession with intent to distribute. Soto-Vittini was arrested by Salem Police three years ago with half an ounce of heroin hidden in a secret compartment in his car.

"This was basically a money crime," Feeley said as he sentenced Soto-Vittini to two years of probation. Feeley also said he was worried a jail sentence would result in Soto-Vittini being deported.

It's wasn't the first time Feeley has released convicted felons over the objections of prosecutors. In a 2016 dangerousness hearing he released Daniel D. Beauvais, 48, of Salem, on bail, after he was indicted on charges that he repeatedly sexually abused a 12-year-old girl and after a different judge called Beauvais a "serial sexual abuser."

More recently — and more notably — Feeley was one of two judges who reduced bail for 29-year-old John Williams after Massachusetts State Police arrested him on firearms and other charges. Feeley reduced his bail to $5,000 in March. In April, Williams allegedly shot and killed a sheriff's deputy in Maine while out on bail.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).

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