Not guilty plea entered for Mass. man accused of trying to swap infant daughter for cocaine
By APThursday, June 3, 2010
Man accused of trying to swap baby for cocaine
CHICOPEE, Mass. — A not guilty plea has been entered for a man accused of offering to trade his 3-month-old daughter for crack cocaine.
Matthew Brace of Northampton was arraigned Tuesday in Chicopee District Court on a charge of reckless endangerment of a child.
Prosecutors say the 24-year-old Brace offered to give his daughter to a maintenance man at a gas station last month in exchange for “two 40s” — slang for crack cocaine, not 40-ounce bottles of beer as was previously reported.
Brace’s attorney dismissed the charges as “totally trumped up allegations,” saying prosecutors have no proof to support them.
A judge released Brace on $10,000 bail, ordering him to stay away from his daughter and remain drug and alcohol free.
The child is in state custody.
Information from: The Springfield Republican, www.masslive.com/news/
