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Pittsfield Bicyclist Dies After Colliding With School Bus
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Shortly before 8 a.m. Everett Clark, 63, was riding eastbound on East Street when a school bus made a right-hand turn from Willis Street onto East Street, where the two collided. Clark was taken to Berkshire Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead as a result of the crash.
Police said the bus driver, Catherine Collins, 44, of Pittsfield, was unable to avoid the collision.
The crash is currently under investigation and police are asking any witnesses to contact the accident investigation unit at 413-448-9700 extension 338.
Superior Court Briefs: September 22 - September 29
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Michael Pahl, 24, of Bristol, Conn. had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on two counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, two counts of malicious destruction of personal property over $250 and a single count of larceny in a building.
Pahl was released on personal recognizance. It is alleged that Pahl broke in to two homes in Becket between November 23, 2010 and December 8, 2010.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, September 27
Robert Whipple, 44, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to two counts of dissemination of visual material of a child in a state of nudity or sexual conduct and 19 counts of knowingly possessing visual material of a child depicted in sexual conduct.
Whipple was sentenced to one to two years at the Berkshire County House of Correction on two counts of dissemination of visual material of a child in a state of nudity or sexual conduct and 18 counts of knowingly possessing visual material of a child depicted in sexual conduct.
Whipple was placed on three years probation on the remaining possession charge. During the probation period he must undergo counseling, forfeit all computer equipment and can not own a phone or device capable of accessing the internet.
Whipple had child pornography on his home computer between December 3, 2005 and June 12, 2009.
Kevin Karch, 47, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to 40 counts of possession of visual material of a child depicted in sexual conduct.
He was sentenced to concurrent two to five years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction on 39 of the counts. He was placed on three years probation on the other charge. During the probation period he must undergo counseling, forfeit all computer equipment and can not own a phone or device capable of accessing the internet.
Karch had images on his home computer in July, 2009 and February, 2010.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, September 29
Jon Gilmore, 21, of Pittsfield was found guilty by a jury on two counts of assault by means of a dangerous weapon and single counts of illegal possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without bail pending sentencing on Oct. 3.
Gilmore attempted to assault a 22-year-old man in Pittsfield on August 16, 2009.
Gilmore was found not guilty on a single count of armed assault with intent to murder.
Superior Court Briefs: September 12 - September 16
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Timothy Primm, 31, of Bristol, Conn. had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on 15 counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, six counts of larceny over $250, 15 counts of malicious destruction of property, eight counts of larceny in a building and a single count of common and notorious thief.
Primm was released on personal recognizance. The charges stem from a series of house break-ins in Becket between September 1, 2010 and July 11.
Corey Catala, 40, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of trafficking in heroin, trafficking in cocaine and distribution of heroin.
Catala was sentenced to concurrent five year sentences on the trafficking charges and a concurrent four to five year sentence on the distribution charge at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction.
Catala sold heroin in Pittsfield on September 20, 2010 and the trafficking charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at his home.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, September 13
Daniel Delsonno Jr., 48, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of unarmed robbery. He was sentenced to three to six years in state prison.
Delsonno took money from a 53-year-old man in Pittsfield on November 22, 2010.
Michael Purry, 37, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
Purry was sentenced to concurrent three to four year sentences at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at the Holiday Inn in North Adams on March 2.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, September 14
Michael Cook, 34, of Williamstown pleaded guilty to three counts of rape of a child and one count of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14.
Cook was sentenced to concurrent five to seven years in state prison. The incidents occurred in Williamstown between June 1, 2008 and September 23, 2008 and involved a boy who was 12-years-old at the time.
Five additional counts of rape of a child, three counts of intimidation of a witness, two counts of threat to commit murder and single counts of indecent assault and batter on a child under the age of 14 and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon were dismissed by the state.
Anthony Acito, 22, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.
Acito was sentences to two to three years in state prison. He attacked a 20-year-old woman in Pittsfield on October 20, 2010.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, September 15
Kenneth Wood Jr., 56, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate drug laws.
Wood was sentenced to 30 days at the Berkshire County House of Correction. He conspired with others to sell drugs between February 3, 2010 and February 17, 2011.
Mark Welch, 44, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate drug laws.
He was sentenced to 30 days at the Berkshire County House of Correction. Welch admitted that he conspired with others to sell drugs between October 14, 2010 and October 21, 2010.
Eric Marcel, 33, of Pittsfield was sentenced to one to two years at the Berkshire County House of Correction after pleading guilty on Sept. 8 to one count of larceny ongoing and continuing offense.
He was also placed on one-year probation after he took about $200,000 from Johnson Ford Lincoln-Mercury Nissan, Inc. while employed there between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2008.
John Cook, 38, of North Adams pleaded guilty to a single count of possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
He was sentenced to one year at the Berkshire County House of Correction and placed on one-year probation. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at his home on September 20, 2010. An additional count of drug violation in a school zone was dismissed by the state.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Friday, September 16
Lemarr Talley, 28, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on a single count of trafficking in cocaine.
The charges are in connection with a motor vehicle stop in Pittsfield on Aug. 22 and Talley was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $10,000 cash or $100,000 surety bail.
Michael Swenson, 19, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of armed robbery and assault by means of a dangerous weapon.
Swenson was sentenced to two and a half to three years in state prison in connection with a theft from La Fogata Restaurant on Tyler Street on Aug. 7.
An additional count of assault by means of a dangerous weapon was dismissed by the state.
Jason Daigneault, 24, of Cheshire had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, larceny from a building and breaking glass in a building.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $5,000 cash or surety bail.
Daigneault allegedly broke into Aaron's Sales and Lease in Pittsfield on July 1.
4th Suspect Charged in Pittsfield Murder Investigation
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Another suspect was arraigned this morning in Central Berkshire District Court as part of the ongoing investigation into the triple homicide conspiracy that has rocked the region.
David Casey, 62, of Canaan, N.Y., entered a plea of not guilty before Judge Rita Koenigs to multiple charges of accessory after the fact in the murders of David Glasser, Robert Chadwell and Edward Frampton. Casey is accused of supplying the excavation equipment used to bury the bodies of the three men.
Casey is facing three counts each of accessory after the fact for murder, for kidnapping and for intimidation of a witness.
The Berkshire District attorney's office confirmed rumors circulating for the past week that the bodies had been discovered on private property in Becket, covered over by boulders. According to court records filed last week, digging equipment was found near the scene of the burial site.
Thomas C. Doyle was appointed as Casey's defense. Bail was set by agreement at $1 million and Casey will appear for a bind over hearing on Oct. 19.
Adam Lee Hall, 34, of Pittsfield, David Chalue, 44, of Springfield and 31-year-old Caivus Veiovis (aka Roy Gutfinski) were arraigned on murder, kidnapping and witness intimidation charges on Sept. 12 in connection to slayings.
Foul Play Feared in Fate of Missing Men
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Rumors abound as tight-lipped authorities continue to investigate the disappearance of three men missing from Pittsfield since Aug. 28. David Glasser, Robert Chadwell and Edward Frampton have not been seen since late Aug. 27.
Following the extensive search of Pittsfield State Forest this weekend through Monday, the investigation has turned to repeated interviews and questioning of neighbors of the missing men and associates of Hells Angel officer Adam Lee "Leo" Hall, whose prosecution Glasser is considered to be a key witness for.
Meanwhile, unsubstantiated but persistent rumors that one or more dead bodies were recovered during the search have circulated since Monday. Variations that one, two, or all three bodies were discovered have been repeated to this reporter by more than a dozen people in different areas of Pittsfield.
Caterer Ed Lyons, who owns a cabin at Ponderosa Pine Camp Ground, very near to the area blocked off on Potter Mountain Road during the massive search, said, "The gossip going around here is they found them dead."
Jim Sweener of Pittsfield reported seeing an apparently abandoned car being towed by Sayer's Auto Wrecking out of the State Forest area during the police search on Sunday.
"It was a Ford Festiva, maybe around 1997 or 1998, green and black," said Sweener, "No plates on it."
Pittsfield Police have not responded to inquiries about a possible relationship between this car and the case of the missing men.
The rumors, however unsubstantiated, seem to reflect a growing feeling that foul play may be involved. Speculation has abounded about the possible connection between Glasser's role as a key witness in the prosecution of Hall, of Peru, who has been in custody since the afternoon of Aug. 28, and the disappearance of Glasser and his two friends.
While police and Berkshire County District Attorney David Capeless have been reticent to comment on this possibility in the press, some sources close to the missing men seem convinced that something tragic has taken place.
One of them is Robert Chadwell's brother Lester, also of Linden Street, who told The Berkshire Eagle on Monday, "We'll never hear from them again, and you can quote me on that."
Chadwell told iBerkshires he did not recognize the description of the recovered Ford from State Forest as belonging to any of the three men, nor anyone else he could think of that might be related to the case.
When asked if he knew of any frequent hangouts or spots the missing men might have been around the time they were last seen, Chadwell indicated that they tended to stick close to home. "From over there to over here," he said, indicating the apartment at 254 Linden to his own address across the street, "That's about it."
General consensus among other neighbors of the missing men, who declined to provide their names, agree that there would have been some word from or sign of one of the trio, "unless something very bad happened," as one Linden Street resident phrased it.
No neighbors, however, have publicly reported seeing anything either the night of Aug. 27 or the morning of Aug. 28 that offers any clues to the missing men's whereabouts. Police reported that the apartment at 254 Linden St. showed no sign of a struggle, though cell phones said to belong to them were found at the premises.
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David Glasser is thought to be a key witness against Hall. |
Despite the fact that Hall, the reputed sergeant at arms for the Berkshire County Hells Angels, has not been officially named as a suspect, a significant amount of time and attention has been given by investigators to establishing Hall's activities leading up to the date the three men went missing.
Two individuals, who also wished not to be identified, say they had been questioned multiple times since Friday by police and detectives attached to the case about their relationship to Hall and knowledge of his whereabouts.
"That's all they asked about," said one young woman who was questioned on repeated occasions, referring to "Leo," aka Hall. "When I'd seen him, where he'd been, who he'd been with. They said they'd pulled his phone records and were putting it together."
She told iBerkshires that as far as she knew, the dispute between the missing Glasser and Hall began when Glasser stole a car part from him in 2009. Hall then allegedly lured the man to his home in Peru, where he proceeded to beat him with a baseball bat. "It's just been escalating since then."
"[Capt.] Barry and the other detectives wanted to know everything I could tell them about Hall, when I'd seen him, if I knew this person or that person seen with him," said another Pittsfield man questioned. "The whole case seems to be about him now."
Hall is currently being held without the right to bail for 60 days at the Berkshire County Jail & House of Correction. He was arraigned Tuesday on new charges of extortion and child pornography, while his trial for previous drug and assault charges begins next week. He is also facing charges of kidnapping, witness intimidation, and with trying to frame witness Glasser with a fictitious crime.
| Tags: missing, Hells Angels |
