BELCHERTOWN — A judge set bail Tuesday for the second man accused in the armed robbery and assault on a University of Massachusetts Amherst student Feb. 18, allegedly fueled by a botched drug deal.
Eastern Hampshire District Court Judge Thomas Estes set bail at $15,000 cash or $150,000 surety for Shawn Wyatt, 22, of Framingham, who is charged with armed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.
First Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Steven E. Gagne argued in court for bail to be set at $25,000 cash, citing Wyatt’s extensive criminal history, including several drug-related and violent offenses that date back to his early teen years.
Wyatt’s defense attorney, John Drake, of Northampton, argued for the same bail and conditions set for Wyatt’s co-defendant, 19-year-old William McKeown, who faces the same charges. Both men previously pleaded not guilty.
“There were several factors that distinguished Mr. Wyatt’s case from Mr. McKeown’s,” Gagne said outside court.
If Wyatt posts bail, conditions of his release stipulate he may not have any contact with the victim in the case or with McKeown and must stay clear of the UMass campus. He is also subject to GPS monitoring, may not consume drugs or alcohol and may undergo random drug screenings and is not permitted to leave the state, according to the district attorney’s office.
McKeown, of Framingham, remains under house arrest on $7,500 cash bail and had to surrender his passport. He also is prohibited from consuming alcohol or non-prescribed drugs and is subject to GPS monitoring.
Gagne also said in court that McKeown and Wyatt tried to pass off a bag of shredded lettuce and broccoli as marijuana and sell it to the UMass student. When the student realized he had been duped, he rushed out into his hallway in the Pierpont dormitory and confronted the men, according to Gagne.
The fact that the purported bag of drugs did not contain marijuana did not negate the seriousness of the alleged crime, Gagne said outside court.
“The severity of the case comes from the display of a weapon,” he said.
McKeown held the student while Wyatt hit him several times with the bottom of a BB gun, police said. McKeown and Wyatt fled campus, and the victim was transported to the hospital for treatment of head injuries and then released.
The incident forced UMass officials to issue a shelter-in-place order, effectively shutting down the campus for about three hours while authorities investigated.
McKeown turned himself in to police a day after the incident. Wyatt had been held without bail since his first court appearance March 17 after he turned himself into police.
McKeown is due back in court April 11, and Wyatt on April 20.
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.