Bail slashed for Lynn felon nabbed in sting

SALEM – Bail for a Lynn felon who is facing a mandatory 22-plus years in state prison after being arrested during a drug sting operation – nearly three weeks after his father was gunned down at their Atlantic Street home on Christmas Eve 2009 – had his bail slashed to $35,000, a Superior Court judge ordered.Abraham J. Halprin, 31, of 23 Atlantic St., #2, Lynn, who is facing assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, subsequent offense, possession of heroin with the intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school and being a habitual offender charges, appeared Monday in Salem Superior Court.His attorney, Christopher Norris, asked for and was granted a bail review hearing before Judge Timothy Q. Feeley.Assistant District Attorney Michael Sheehan immediately stated that he felt the $150,000 bail initially set was “appropriate” and should even be incr-eased based on Halprin’s past criminal record and history of violating probation. Sheehan emphasized that Halprin is facing a mandatory punishment of 15 years on the habitual offender charge and another seven and a half years on the heroin distribution, subsequent offense, and school zone violation charges.Sheehan stated that the case at hand arises out of his arrest on Jan. 11, 2010 when Lynn Drug Task force members had pre-arranged through telephone calls with Halprin to purchase two $80 bags of heroin for $160.An undercover police trooper met with Halprin that afternoon at the Rite-Aid parking lot at 158 Lewis St., in proximity of the Brickett Elementary School, where the exchange took place.After the deal was consummated, officers moved in to attempt to arrest Halprin, but he jumped into his Ford SUV, jammed his car into reverse and smashed into the undercover police trooper’s vehicle. A shot was apparently fired by police at the SUV, striking the steering wheel, but no one was hit. Police then swarmed in and arrested Halprin.But Norris convinced Feeley that the bail should be set at $35,000 and his mother, Ora Halprin, who was present in court, would put up her retirement money to get her son out of jail pending trial.Norris explained that Halprin was upset having just lost his father when he was arrested during the sting and tried to flee.His father, Bennett Halprin, sustained multiple gunshot wounds in his second-floor apartment at 23 Atlantic St. on Dec. 24, 2009.Bennett Halprin, 66, an MBTA bus driver, died about 30 minutes later at the North Shore Medical Center’s Union Hospital in Lynn.His murder remains unsolved.Halprin is expected to be bailed out within a few days and is expected to be back in court on June 3.