Great Barrington — The Berkshire Edge has confirmed that agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken another resident into custody.
On Wednesday, May 28, Erica Lemus de paz, 33, was arrested by the Great Barrington Police Department for domestic assault and battery on a household member, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a frying pan.
Via email on Monday, June 9, NEWSletter publisher Eileen Mooney reported that, according to the Police Department’s incident log, ICE agents were at the police station inquiring about de Paz.
It states in the log that ICE agents requested the early release and exchange of de Paz in order for ICE to take her into custody:
Advised we were unable to accommodate those requests; agents requested to exchange custody in the lobby, advised our lobby is public. Agents expressed safety concerns. They were assured a safe transfer of custody if the situation escalated.
When asked via email about the incident, Police Chief Paul Storti wrote via email to The Berkshire Edge that:
It was not technically a transfer of custody. She was released on bail and from our custody. When she exited the building [police station] after a mandatory six-hour hold, federal agents were waiting for her to take her into custody. We only ensured that if there was any violence, we would address it. They requested for us to release her early and let us take her to our secure parking lot. We advised them that we cannot do that per our trust policy absent a signed warrant by a federal judge. She was taken into custody without incident and we did not have any involvement with their actions.Â
Correction: A few hours after The Berkshire Edge posted this article, Chief Storti wrote via email that he made an error in the name of the resident. This article has been updated with the correct name.
Previous stories:
Stalked and Abducted: Federal ICE agents grab a local gardener from his job site in Great Barrington, May 30.
ICE agents in Great Barrington, May 6.
