NORTHAMPTON — An Easthampton man who admitted to placing and setting off explosive devices last year was sentenced Tuesday to 3½ to 5 years in state prison.
Bryan Desmarais, of 36 Ridgewood Terrace, pleaded guilty earlier this month in Hampshire Superior Court to charges including 10 counts of unlawful placing or secreting of an incendiary device, nine counts of unlawful exploding of an incendiary device, and 37 counts of possession of a large capacity feeding device.
On Tuesday, Judge Mary-Lou Rup sentenced Desmarais to serve 10 years of probation following the conclusion of his prison sentence, with conditions that he not possess explosive or incendiary devices or substances and submit to a mental health and drug evaluation when he’s released from state prison. Desmarais will get credit for 425 days he has already spent in jail since his arrest in February 2017.
Having already heard arguments for sentencing earlier this month, Rup and the attorneys said very little at the sentencing hearing. Rup wished Desmarais good luck as the hearing concluded.
Earlier this month, defense attorney Alan Rubin argued that Desmarais was simply a “tinkerer” who went too far when he set off nine explosions to celebrate New England Patriots touchdowns and the team’s victory in the Super Bowl, Feb. 5, 2017, in Easthampton’s mill district. Rubin said that Desmarais, who turns 43 next week according to court documents, had become fascinated by the chemistry and creativity of pyrotechnics and got “carried away.”
At that hearing, Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Matthew Thomas said Desmarais had shown indifference to the people of Easthampton and appeared to show what he described as “escalating behavior,” as evidenced by videos found on his computer of prior explosions.
Thomas noted at the April 6 hearing that the devices were placed in a mixed-use, high-traffic area of Easthampton.
“It’s easy to imagine someone walking their dog at 9:30 p.m. … being hurt grievously, if not killed,” he said.
But Rubin said Desmarais said he had taken safety precautions, such as wearing a night-vision scope to make sure no people were near the devices on the night of the February explosions.
Thomas also provided evidence that Desmarais, the owner of Bustin’ Bass Baits, had stockpiled a quantity of the explosive compound ETN, as well as the large-capacity feeding devices.
“These don’t seem to be the actions of a hobbyist, because of the scope and because of all the things found in his business,” Thomas said.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.