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Superior Court Briefs: March 30 - April 3
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Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Monday, March 30.
Tammy Armstrong, 30, of North Adams had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on single counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute - her second offense - possession of heroin, using a motor vehicle without authority, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, and number plate violation.
She was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $1,500 cash or $15,000 surety. The charges stem from a motor vehicle stop in North Adams on February 24, 2015.
Paul Shartrand, 48, of Pittsfield was found guilty of single counts of caretaker abuse on a disabled person, and assault and battery on a disabled person.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without bail until sentencing. The jury found Shartrand assault a 55-year-old female patient while he worked at the Laurel Lake Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Lee. The incident occurred on August 12, 2012.
He was found not guilty of a single count of assault with intent to commit rape.
On Tuesday, he was sentenced to two years at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the caretaker abuse charge and placed on two-years probation on the other.
Deveron Wicks, 27, of Springfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf of two counts of conspiracy to violate drug laws, and single counts of trafficking in heroin, and trafficking in cocaine.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $100,000 bail. The charges stem from a motor vehicle stop in North Adams on March 2, 2015.
Mark Yannone, 32, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to 14 counts of larceny by false pretense, and single counts of larceny over $250 from a person over the age of 60, and filing a fraudulent insurance claim.
He was ordered to serve concurrent two to five years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction. Yannone took money from customers while doing business as M. Joseph Jewelers between March 20, 2011 and August 13, 2013.
Brandon Young, 31, of Pittsfield had a not guilty plea entered on his behalf on a single count of rape.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $20,000 cash or $200,000 surety bail. Young is accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman in Pittsfield on February 12, 2015.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, March 31.
Arturo Bravo, 74, of Becket had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on 12 counts of rape and abuse of a child, 10 counts of intimidation of a witness, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, and a single count of assault on a child with intent to commit rape.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $250,000 bail. He is accused of sexually assaulting four boys in Becket between July 1, 2002 and September 18, 2014. The victims are now ages 25,20,18 and 13.
Terrence Gibbons, 29, of Springfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on two counts of conspiracy to violate drug laws, and single counts of trafficking in cocaine, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and failure to stop for a police officer.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $25,000 bail. The charges stem from a motor vehicle stop in Lenox on February 26, 2015.
Daniel Grimes, 28, of Springfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of trafficking in cocaine, possession of heroin with intent to distribute - his second offense - and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $25,000 bail. The charges stem from a motor vehicle stop in Pittsfield on March 3, 2015.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, April 1.
Kevin Reale, 22, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a loaded firearm, receiving stolen property over $250, and possession of ammunition with a firearm identification car.
He was sentenced to concurrent two and a half to four years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction on the illegal possession of a firearm and receiving stolen property charges. He was given one-day sentences at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the others.
The charges stem from a motor vehicle stop in Pittsfield on November 26, 2013.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, April 2.
William Belcher Jr., 61, of Dalton was found guilty of a single count of larceny by embezzlement over $250 from a person older than 60, an on-going and continuing offense.
He was released on $2,500 cash or $25,000 surety bail pending sentencing. Belcher is accused of taking approximately $6,000 from a 99-year-old woman between November 1, 2009 and February 28, 2013.
Belcher was sentenced on Friday to serve three to seven years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction.
Michael Baggett, 53, of Adams pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and a single count of threat to commit a crime.
He was given concurrent 254-day sentences at the Berkshire County House of Correction.
He submitted to facts sufficient to warrant a guilty finding on two counts of intimidation of a witness or other person on two counts of intimidation of a witness or other person. Those charges are continued without a finding for one year.
The charges stem from an altercation in Adams on May 8, 2014 and involved a 36-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman.
North Adams Man Injured in Rollover
 A local man was injured in a rollover accident on Daniels Road on Friday. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A local man was taken by Life Flight to Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center after rolling his Jeep on Daniels Road.
The accident occurred just after noontime on Friday as the report of a rollover at 192 Daniels. The name of the driver has not yet been released. No one else was in the Jeep and there were no other injuries.
Police Director Michael Cozzaglio said preliminary investigations show that the 2009 Jeep was traveling north on Daniels Road at a high rate of speed. After hitting a decorative rock along lawn, it is suspected that the driver was ejected from the vehicle and the Jeep flipped and came to rest upside down.
"Speed was definitely a factor," Cozzaglio said.
He said the driver did not have a seat belt on and sustained serous injuries. He added the Jeep may have been airborne at one point. It sustained significant damage. Debris was scattered on the road, including a pizza box and tools.
The accident is still under investigation. North Adams Ambulance, Fire and Police all responded to the scene. The road was closed until the vehicle could be removed.
Superior Court Briefs: March 23 - March 24
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Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Monday, March 23.
Malik Grandson, 22, of Pittsfield was sentenced to two and a half years at the Berkshire County House of Correction on a single count of assault and battery. He was placed on five-years probation on a single count of home invasion.
Grandson was found guilty of the two charges on March 11. The incidents occurred in Pittsfield on May 20, 2013.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, March 24.
Davon Fitts, 32, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.
He was placed on nine months probation. The charge stems from an incident in North Adams on June 15,2013 and involved a 42-year-old man.
Man Cited For Running Red Light In Crash Into Pittsfield Storefront
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police have cited the driver of the van than ran into a second street building for running a red light.
A Ford van driven by John Eckert crashed into J.M.S. Industrial Supply Wednesday morning after narrowly missing a collision with a Berkshire Regional Transit Authority bus.
"After viewing the video tapes on the BRTA bus, he was found at fault for a red light violation," said Officer Michael Silver.
The officer said the BRTA van was heading east at the intersection when Eckert ran the red light as he was heading northbound. The two never collided but Eckert's effort to avoid that led to the crash.
"He swerved to miss [the van] and drove himself into the building," Silver said.
Original Post on Wednesday, March 25 at 12:07 p.m.
Pittsfield Accident Sends Van Into Fenn Street Building
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A van involved in a motor vehicle accident smashed through the front door of J.M.S Supply on Fenn Street on Wednesday morning. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A motor vehicle accident at the corner of Second and Fenn streets sent a van smashing into the front of a hardware store.
The white van went through angled corner door of J.M.S. Industrial Supply at 289 Fenn, skimming a street light. The streetlight was ultimately pulled down as the van was towed from the scene by Sayers Auto Wrecking.
The collision occurred just before 11 a.m. Police are still investigating the accident but say the Ford van operated by John Eckert was northbound before careening into the storefront.
Police say an eastbound Berkshire Regional Transit Authority van operated by Rebecca Whitaker was also involved in the accident but it is unclear exactly how. That van did not appear to have been damaged.
No one was reported hurt but firefighters had to evacuate seven residents living in the building that runs along Second Street and utilities were shut off. Three people inside J.M.S. were evacuated as well.
"We assisted in the evacuation of three people in the business," said Deputy Fire Chief Michael Polidoro. "The owner and two other people had to be extricated through the basement.
"The main door was obviously destroyed."
Polidoro said traffic would have to be rerouted around the intersection, particularly on the Fenn Street side, because the building's structure was compromised. Workers from the Department of Public Works helped with traffic control.
"The road is going to have to be shut down on this side because of the potential collapse," he said.
City inspectors and the property manager were at the scene. Eversource was being contacted about restoring some electrical service to a section of the building.
"At this time, all the pieces have to come together [before people can go back in]," Polidoro said.
The property is owned by Alexander and Nancy Kolben of New York City, according to city records, and is valued at $168,500. The building has five residential units in addition to the storefront.
Woman Suffers Multiple Injuries After Being Struck By Train in Pittsfield
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Emergency personnel responded to the report an individual being struck by a train on the CSX tracks underneath the bridge on Second Street at about 9 p.m.
"We found a middle aged female conscience and alert next to the tracks with multiple injuries including Level 1 head trauma and a broke femur," Deputy Fire Chief Steven Peaslee said.
Multiple firefighters, police and emergency medical technicians from County Ambulance used Monteleone Place to access the underneath the bridge as the train was parked several hundred yards past the bridge.
"We had a very quick response, found her. PPD was on the scene as well," Peaslee said.
Police say the incident was reported at 8:46 p.m. by the train operator. A CSX employee escorted responders under the bridge to the woman.
Second Street was closed for only a short time as the responders treated the woman underneath and then carried her up the banks to the ambulance during the rainy weather. About 30 minutes after the call came in, the woman was in the ambulance.
She was taken to Berkshire Medical Center because of the injuries.
It is unclear why the individual was on the tracks and emergency responders on scene didn't conjecture.
