NYC man charged with harboring fugitive

NEW YORK » A New York City man was arrested after he let a friend charged with shooting a Massachusetts state trooper stay at his place in the Bronx and then lied when U.S. marshals arrived, authorities said Monday.

Grant Grandison, 35, was ordered freed on bail in Manhattan federal court over the objection of prosecutors. The encounter Friday resulted in a gunfight in which the fugitive, Andre K. Sterling, was killed and two deputy U.S. marshals were injured.

At Monday’s hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Rothman sought detention for Grandison, saying there was a “truly horrific” result to his crimes of harboring a fugitive and making false statements.

“It could have been so much worse,” Rothman said, adding that five unspent rounds were found in Sterling’s gun.

Defense attorney Amy Gallicchio said her client “merely opened the door” for authorities to enter his apartment and did not condone anything afterward.

She said he had a supportive wife and a long history of employment and cooperated fully.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn noted that Grandison, 35, was a college graduate with no history of violence and a legitimate job as a party planner as she concluded he was not dangerous or a risk to flee. She set bail at $100,000 and ordered electronic monitoring.

Grandison let Sterling, 35, stay in his apartment in the Wakefield neighborhood six days after Massachusetts State Trooper John Lennon was shot in the hand on Nov. 20 during a late-night traffic stop in Hyannis on Cape Cod, authorities said. The trooper was hospitalized for several days.