Salem Judge Facing More Criticism For Criminal Court Decision

SALEM, MA -- The Salem Superior Court that some lawmakers say should be impeached for his lax rulings in criminal cases raised eyebrows again this week. Judge Timothy Feeeley Scott Karwiel's bail to $1,000 from $25,000. Karwiel, 45, of Salisbury, was arrested for drunk driving for the fifth time after a motor vehicle crash on Interstate 495 in Andover on July 6.

Karwiel was originally held without bail following his July 9 arraignment, but a Lawrence District Court judge set bail at $25,000 and set conditions for his release. Karwiel has a long record of drunken driving-related offenses stretching back to the early 1990s. But Feeley ruled this week to lower the bail, saying it would be affordable while still being high enough to insure Karwiel's return to court for a September 13 pretrial hearing in Lawrence District Court.

Last week state Rep. Jim Lynopns (R-Andover) renewed his push to have Feeley impeached. Feeley has been under scrutiny since he 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.

But legal groups, including the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, oppose the impeachment. In May, that group issued a statement saying "any suggestion that Judge Feeley is pro-defense is propaganda."

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Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

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