Easthampton man gets 4 to 5 1/2 years in prison for assaulting, threatening ex-girlfriend

By MICHAEL MAJCHROWICZ

@mjmajchrowicz

Published: 01-18-2017 8:07 PM

NORTHAMPTON — An Easthampton man will spend 4 to 5½ years in state prisonafter he admitted to beating and terrorizing his former girlfriend in the spring of 2015.

Kevin Pardee, 30, of Easthampton, who has been on house arrest since June 2016, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court to one count each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm without a firearms identification card as an armed career criminal, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number during the commission of a felony, and witness intimidation.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and five counts of assault and battery on a family or household member.

Judge Mark Mason accepted a plea deal agreed to by Pardee’s attorney, Daniel Bergin, and Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Sarah Pascale, in which Pardee would serve time in prison followed by two years of probation with special conditions.

He has credit for 438 days served, according to the district attorney’s office, from when he was incarcerated in Hampshire Jail and House of Correction following his arrest.

Citing his struggle with bipolar disorder and drug addiction, Pardee admitted to the judge he beat his then-girlfriend in March 2015 and threatened kill her and take his own life. Twice, the prosecutor said, Pardee put a gun in her mouth. The incident led to a standoff with Easthampton police.

Then, in April, Pardee held a knife to the woman’s throat while he pinned her on a bed. Afterward, he took off in a car with the woman, driving through several communities while beating her and slicing her in the leg with a knife, police said.

Eventually, he forced her to drive as he continued to beat her, police said. Additionally, he also threatened to kill her family. When the car stopped at a red light, the woman escaped.

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Pardee was arrested April 10.

Pardee has an extensive, and often violent, criminal history dating back to 2004, according to court records.

Bergin explained to Mason that both Pardee and his then-girlfriend spent much of their time together using heroin.

“He’s been clean and sober since the incident,” Bergin said.

Both attorneys said in court that the plea deal has been in the works for “several” months. As part of the deal, Pardee must stay clear of the woman when he is released from prison.

Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.

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