New Bedford judge releases kidnapping suspect with ankle bracelet

It seems every week a judge in New Bedford allows a violent criminal back on the street with little care for public safety. This time a kidnapping suspect was released with an ankle bracelet.

Last Wednesday, New Bedford District Court Judge James McGovern found 26-year old Catherine Murphy to be a danger to public safety after her involvement in a violent kidnapping but released her with an ankle bracelet and some conditions (don’t go to Wareham and avoid the victim).

Catherine Murphy and her alleged partner in crime, 31-year old Geoffrey Chandler of New Bedford, are accused of kidnapping and assaulting a Wareham man in New Bedford on Dec. 24, 2018, over a $180 drug debt. According to court records, both suspects are charged with kidnapping, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery to collect a loan and conspiracy. Geoffrey Chandler is still at large and faces additional charges.

Both suspects are accused of choking unconscious, beating and tying up the victim to a chair in the basement of a Cleveland Street apartment in the south end of New Bedford. As of today, New Bedford police are still searching for Geoffrey Chandler.