Berkshire County — On Monday, November 10, State Police announced that they had arrested 56 people across 38 communities as part of Operation Firewall.
According to a press release issued by the State Police, the three day statewide operation, which took place last week, was developed by the Division of Investigative services to “address the growing problem of possession, production, and sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), as well as child enticement and other illegal activity.”
As part of the operation, troopers executed 34 residential search warrants, seized 229 devices, and arrested 56 individuals ranging in age from 18 to 75.
According to the State Police “the defendants will face charges connected to child pornography, child enticement, as well as charges stemming from outstanding warrants for assault and battery of a child, rape of a child, and failure to register with the Sex Offender Registry Board.”
The following names have been released by the State Police as suspects from the Berkshire County area who were arrested as part of Operation Firewall:
Great Barrington
Henry Glazier, 58, charged with failure to register;
Lopez-Santiago Manuel, 46, charged with enticement of a child.
Pittsfield
Dononeil Nebar, 39, charged with enticement of a child;
Thomas Kushi, 57, charged with enticement of a child;
Michael Reu, 55, charged with enticement of a child;
Jason Hadsell, 57, charged with enticement of a child;
Robert Sabin, 69, charged with enticement of a child;
Michael Page, 57, charged with failure to register;
Wayne Bingle, 71, charged with failure to register.
George Wetherell, 40, charged with failure to register;
Darwin Ruiz, 19, charged with rape, assault and battery on a child.
Becket
Christopher Morin, 53, charged with failure to register.
Lenox
Drew Kelly, 37, charged with failure to register.
North Adams
Jhon Fafur, 27, charged with enticement of a child;
Joseph Gagnon, 67, charged with enticement of a child;
Zack Comstock, 51, charged with enticement of a child;
Chrstopher Tague, 38, charged with enticement of a child;
Raymond Martin, 49, North Adams, charged with failure to register.
“I am thankful to the Massachusetts State Police for dedicating resources to this past week’s operation,” Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue is quoted in the press release. “In the Berkshires, we have been running similar operations to this one since I started in office in 2023. This operation was exceptionally successful thanks to the statewide partnerships and dedication of resources. I began my career as a prosecutor in the Child Abuse Unit. This work has stuck with me and protecting and advocating for children is something I dedicated myself to. This kind of work is not easy. It is time-consuming, taxing, and requires an extraordinary level of care and precision; however, the results, keeping our children and our communities safe, make this difficult work well worth it. I commend all the State Troopers and detectives, and local law enforcement that supported them, on the success of their mission. The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office is dedicated to prosecuting cases of child abuse and exploitation to the greatest extent of the law.”
