BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts man accused of attempting to abduct a child in Amherst will be held without bail for at least 120 days and will undergo a mental health competency exam before trial.
Jimmy Sanchez, 35, was deemed to be a danger to the community and ordered to be held without bail on Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court, MassLive reported.
According to police, he broke into a home and attempted to flee with a 20-month-old child before the mother awoke and alerted others in the home. They chased Sanchez and managed to wrestle the child from him.
Sanchez pleaded not guilty at his arraignment a week ago. He is charged with attempted kidnapping, assault and battery, breaking and entering in the nighttime for a felony, larceny from a building and larceny under $1,200.
Sanchez’s lawyer, Daniel M. Sandell of Amherst, said that he requested to be transferred from Hampshire County House of Correction in Northampton to the Franklin County House of Correction in Greenfield.
Sandell said his client made the request because he filed a civil lawsuit accusing staff at the Hampshire jail of numerous abuses and mistreatment. In addition, he claimed that the facility lacks the proper medical and mental health care.
Sandell said that Sanchez has been held at the jail’s protective custody unit since his arrest and it is impacting his mental health.
“If he continues to be held there, his ability to participate meaningfully in court proceedings may deteriorate,” Sandell said.
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