New Transcript Reignites Outcry Over Salem Judge's Decisions

SALEM, MA -- Salem Superior Court Judge Timothy Feeley made comments during a Feb. 28 lobby conference suggesting Manuel Soto-Vittini would have received a prison sentence if he were a U.S. citizen, according to court transcripts. Last month Feeley rejected a prosecutor's request for a one- to three-year sentence for Soto-Vittini, 32, of Peabody, who had pleaded guilty to a charge of drug possession with intent to distribute.

"If he was a citizen, I’d send him — I’d probably do house (of correction) time — but I’d send him to the house," Feeley said in court transcripts quoted by the Salem News, which first reported this story.

That decision, coupled with criticism of a handful of other, past decisions Feeley made that were seen as being too lenient, has led to a group of Republican lawmakers to file legislation to impeach the appointee of former Gov. Deval Patrick to be removed from the bench. On Monday, House Speaker Robert DeLeo became one of the first, prominent Massachusetts Democrats to question Feeley's decisions.

"I am deeply troubled by what I’ve heard, and I expect that the (Supreme Judicial Court) will determine whether the judge appropriately exercised his discretion," DeLeo said in a statement. "I look forward to a timely report by the SJC on the judge’s conduct."

Feeley's decision to sentence Soto-Vittini, who was arrested in Salem three years ago with half an ounce of heroin, was only the most recent in a string of decisions that have put Feeley under scrutiny. Most 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.

Others, however, have been quick to defend Feeley. The Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers issued a statement supporting Feeley and condemning efforts to impeach him, and other defense attorneys have said Feeley's detractors have focused on a handful of cases out of hundreds in nearly a decade on the bench that were all adjudicated properly under state guidelines.

More on Judge Feeley:

• More Attorneys Come To Salem Judge's Defense (May 25, 2018)
• Defense Lawyers Don't Want Salem Judge Feeley Impeached (May 23, 2018)
• The Controversial Decisions Of Salem Judge Timothy Feeley (May 21, 2018)
• Lawmakers Push To Impeach Salem Judge (May 18, 2018)
• No Jail For Peabody Drug Dealer Because He Wasn't An Addict (May 16, 2018)

For more on this story, see the Salem News. Never miss another local news story: Get free local news alerts right to your inbox.

Patch file photo.

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