Swansea official accused of vandalizing rivals' campaign signs in 2021 won't go to trial

FALL RIVER — The criminal case against Swansea Planning Board member Jonathan Carreiro, charged in 2021 for an election night incident involving town political rivals, will not go to trial after a District Court judge on Thursday agreed to pre-trial probation conditions, including 100 hours of community service for Carreiro.

But during the hearing, Carreiro’s alleged victims — Swansea Water and Sewer boards member James Pelletier, former Board of Selectman candidate Melissa Afonso and his former neighbor, Brian Bell — told the judge in witness impact statements that, after the case was in court for three years, they wanted a trial.

Carreiro’s trial was supposed to begin on Thursday.

District Court Judge Joseph P. Hurley approved the disposition recommendation between Carreiro’s defense attorney, Will Flanagan, and Bristol County Assistant District Attorney John Geary.

“Hopefully this leads to a change going forward,” said Hurley. “With age, our judgment improves, and he’s seeing the impact today, firsthand, on his neighbors.”

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What happened on election night in 2021?

Carreiro, then 32, was newly elected to the town’s Planning Board after a write-in campaign.

Carreiro, reportedly, was celebrating with friends at a local bar, including his newly re-elected Board of Selectman twin brother, Christopher Carreiro; he allegedly drove his car to Sycamore Street and ran over several campaign signs. The signs belonged to Afonso, who lost in a contentious race against Christopher Carreiro, and to Pelletier, who was successful capturing a seat on the Water Board that night.

A week after Carreiro allegedly drove over the signs, he reportedly contacted Pelletier to get him to drop a complaint against him for destruction of property.

The incident was caught on the neighbor's security camera. The video shows a car driving up to the front yard; a male exiting the vehicle and kicking the signs and then getting back in his car driving into the neighbor's driveway where he backs up and then accelerates the vehicle and runs over the signs.

The terms of a deal between the District Attorney's Office and the defense

The judge said the District Attorney's recommendation was generous, and if the case returns to court, there would likely not be a similar offer.

In the pre-trial probation ruling, Carreiro did not admit to the charges of witness intimidation, a felony, and two counts of malicious destruction of property and trespassing. If Carreiro stays out of legal trouble for a year, the case will be wiped from his record.

However, if he has a violation within a year, this case goes back to a judge.

In addition to serving 100 of community service, overseen by the probation division, Carreiro was ordered to pay a $500 fine for the civil trespassing charge. He was also ordered to stay away from Pelletier, Afonso and Bell for one year except for government business.

After the hearing, Carreiro declined to comment on the case.

During the proceeding, Flanagan said Carreiro has done a lot of good in the community, calling the disposition “a symbolic apology” to the community.

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Alleged victims wanted day in court

Pelletier said he, Afonso and Bell had only been notified about the deal between the district attorney and Flanagan the afternoon before the trial was to start, and they weren’t happy when they heard the news.

“I felt victimized again,” wrote Pelletier in a four-page victim impact statement he gave to the judge. “The defendant has a right to a trial so all the evidence can be heard. Do the victims have the same rights? Once again, these crimes are not only a violation of the law but a violation of public trust.”

Pelletier’s victim impact statement was shared with Carreiro and Flanagan during the proceeding.

Bell, who addressed the court, explained the impact of Carreiro’s actions on his property on election night.

“The very first thing the next morning, when I had to explain to my wife, and my daughter who at the time was 13 years old, the very first thing my daughter said was, ‘Are we safe here?’” said Bell.

He said the matter was not about damage to $5 signs.

“The reality is I had to answer that tough question from my daughter. This was Mr. Carreiro’s victory lap. He and his brother had just won their respective campaigns. And this was the result of it,” said Bell.

He added that his wife did not want to place any more campaign signs on their lawn.

“This was an act of symbolic violence,” said Bell. “What’s been haunting me for three years is: if this is what happened when he won, what would have happened if he lost?”

Hurley said that incidents like the one involving Carreiro is “not just in Swansea.”

“We look around the country and we see a lack of respect for people’s First Amendment rights, instead of agreeing to disagree,” said Hurley.

Hurley said he gives a defendant credit for staying out of trouble.

Afonso said she understood and respected the judge’s comment. “I just hope that this time it works,” said Afonso.

Carreiro's term on the Planning Board expires in 2026.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Swansea official Carreiro gets deal on vandalism, intimidation case