SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A Springfield man participated in a program to help turn his life around and dismiss criminal charges.
In August of 2019, 26-year-old Sedale Collymore was charged with breaking and entering a building during daytime, assault with a dangerous weapon, and larceny over $1,200. He was facing up to 10 years in state prison for breaking and entering.
Collymore accepted the opportunity of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni’s Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH) program. It offers high-risk adults ages 18 to 24 the opportunity to stay out of prison and upon completion have their case being dismissed and records expunged or sealed.
To participate, Collymore had to plead guilty to the offenses, which he did on August 27, 2020, after spending almost a year in jail while being held for pre-trial. The four-phase program includes attending therapy, finding supportive housing, staying away from crime, and maintaining a full-time job.
Collymore turned his life around in just over the last 24 months and is employed with Behavior Health Networks in facilities management. He successfully completed the goals for the program and was granted a new trial where Honorable Kevin V. Maltby, accepted the prosecution’s motion and dismissed all charges.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni stated, “We are so proud of Sedale, who decided to change his life by taking accountability and working towards his goals and dreams. His success is heartening and inspiring to his fellow participants, our team, and to me. What Sedale has done is exactly what we envisioned when EACH began in 2020; individuals investing in themselves, turning their lives around with careers, and staying out of the criminal justice system.”
Collymore is the second graduate of the Emerging Adult Court of Hope program. Carlton Ford completed the program in December of 2022. He has his commercial driver’s license and has a career in transportation.
If participants are unsuccessful, they are sentenced on their original charges.
