NORTHAMPTON — An Easthampton man charged with illegally manufacturing explosives and explosive devices was scheduled to change his plea Thursday morning but instead told a judge he would like a new attorney.
Bryan O. Desmarais, 42, of 36 Ridgewood Terrace, earlier pleaded not guilty in Hampshire Superior Court to 61 charges stemming from February 2017 incidents in which police said he placed and set off explosives in Easthampton’s mill district.
“I just felt like he wasn’t really on my side,” Desmarais said of his attorney Alan Rubin. “I just felt like he didn’t have me in his best interests.”
Rubin told the judge that he has provided Desmarais with all the material that would be used at trial and that there was extraordinary amounts of computerized, digital material taken by police — most of which was not relevant to the case.
Judge Mary-Lou Rup denied Desmarais’ request and set a March 29 date to review the status of the case. Rup called Rubin “an excellent lawyer who does well by his clients.”
Before concluding the hearing, Rup cautioned Desmarais that appointing a new attorney at this point in his case would most likely result in a very significant delay and urged him to think hard over the next week and not make a quick judgment.
Desmarais is charged with 10 counts of unlawful secreting or placing of an incendiary device, nine counts of unlawful explosion of a destructive or incendiary device, single counts of attempted unlawful explosion of a destructive or incendiary device, attempted possession of a large-capacity weapon, attempted possession of a machine gun and unlawful possession of an incendiary device or material, as well as 38 counts of unlawful possession of a large-capacity feeding device.
Desmarais was arrested Feb. 16, 2017 and pleaded not guilty the following day in Northampton District Court on charges of possession of ammunition without a license, possession or control of an incendiary device, possession of explosives, and throwing, placing or exploding explosives.
He has been in custody since his arrest.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.