PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A city officer was taken to the hospital following an early morning crash Tuesday.

 

Police say Officer Jeffrey Slater was transporting a prisoner westbound on Fenn Street when the cruiser collided with a 2013 Honda operated by Michael Cote,of Pittsfield, at around 12:47 a.m. at the intersection of First and Fenn Streets.

 

All three individuals were taken to Berkshire Medical Center and treated and released. 

 

The accident remains under investigation.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Three individuals have been indicted by a grand jury on murder charges for the death of Asiyanna Jones.

 

Josiaiah Bynum, 20, Carey Pilot, 45, and Gary Linen, 38, all of Pittsfield, are each being charged with single counts of first-degree murder. The three are expected to be arraigned in Berkshire Superior Court soon.

 

The three are accused of shooting the 22-year-old Jones on Dewey Avenue on Oct. 2, 2017. Jones was found shot in the head inside a motor vehicle shortly before 11 p.m.that night. She was flown to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and pronounced dead at about 4 a.m. the next morning.

 

Reportedly, the shots went through the windshield of the vehicle that Jones was sitting in with another woman. The driver immediately took Jones to Berkshire Medical Center. 

 

Two weeks later, Bynum was arraigned on weapons and assault charges and, at the time, police were searching for Linen. A few days before Bynum's arrest, Justin Crawford, 20, was arrested and police said they found a handgun that was involved on the Oct. 2 shooting. Shots were reportedly exchanged that night between two opposing parties.

 

Jones was a graduate of Pittsfield High School and had been a child-care worker at the Berkshire Family YMCA. She was recently employed at Hillcrest Educational Center.

Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, June 27.

 

Joseph Barnes, 32, of Pittsfield had a not guilty plea entered on his behalf on a single count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute - his second offense.

 

He was released on $2,000 bail. The charge stems from the execution of a search warrant at his home on March 9, 2018.

 

Jayce Jones, 38, of Pittsfield had a not guilty plea entered on his behalf on a single count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

 

He was released on $500 bail. The charge stems from the execution of a search warrant at his home on March 9, 2018.

 

Marcelle King, 30, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on two counts of illegal ownership of a firearm, and single counts of possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card and receiving stolen property under $250. 

 

He was released on $500 bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at his home on March 9, 2018.

 

Cases heard before Judge Mark Mason on Thursday, June 28.

 

Roscoe Adams, 38, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of assault and battery on a disabled person and caretaker abuse on a disabled person.

 

The charge was continued without a finding for one year. Adams assaulted a student while working at Eagleton School on June 10, 2013. A single count of misleading a police officer was dismissed by the state.

 

Cases heard before Judge Mark Mason on Friday, June 29.

 

Jerrel Hall, 26, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of possession of heroin with intent to distribute - his second offense. 

 

He was ordered to serve four to five years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction. The charge stemmed from the execution of an arrest warrant on May 23, 2016. 

 

Single counts of armed career felon, illegal possession of a firearm - his second offense - and a single count of possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number were dismissed by the state.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A city real estate developer pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Springfield of defrauding Greylock Federal Credit Union.

 

Jeffrey Pierce, 51, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to receive money through transactions of a credit union with intent to defraud the credit union and make false statements to a federal credit union.

 

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, between 2005 and 2008 a former Greylock Federal Credit Union vice president authorized some $4 million in loans and loan modifications to Pierce and his five real estate development companies. 

 

While the office didn't name the banker on Wednesday, in 2014 Michael Dicenzo pleaded guilty to related charges in the case. Dicenzo worked at Greylock as a commercial loan officer from 2004 until 2009 and faced eight counts of fraud and a single count of making false statements to federal officials.

 

The loans issued to Pierce were in violation of the credit union's policies and caused the credit union to release funds "far in excess of what Pierce and his companies could reasonably receive or repay," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. 

 

In exchange, the U.S. Attorney's Office alleges Pierce agreed to provide the former vice president with $134,773 in check payments to a "front company" created by the Greylock employee — those payments derived from Greylock loans —  free use of a home constructed by Pierce's companies, and free use of a vehicle — also purchased with Greylock loans. 

 

In 2010, Pierce is accused of falsely stating to Greylock that the money paid from his company to the  "front company" were payments for design work that the vice president's wife provided to Pierce for construction projects. Law enforcement said those statements were made based on the urging of the former vice president. 

 

The conspiracy charge against Pierce carries a prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Oct. 3, 2018.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Traffic on Main Street (Route 2) was slowed mid-afternoon Wednesday as authorities cleaned up from a single-vehicle accident near the Spruces park.

 

An eastbound black Ford pickup appeared to cross through the westbound lane and collide with a utility pole.

 

First responders on the scene reported that the driver of the vehicle was not transported by the ambulance that responded to the accident.

 

The collision with utility pole damaged one nearby home by pulling the lines from the side of the house. There were no reports of outages in the vicinity.

 

The accident was reported at about 2:30 p.m. and cleared up about an hour later.