PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police are investigating another shooting incident in the city that injured a teenager.
According to a press release by Lt. Gary Traversa, police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Appelton Avenue and East Street shortly after midnight on Sunday morning.
Patrol units canvassed the area for witnesses, victims or suspects. About 55 minutes later, police were notified that a 17-year-old boy was being treated at Berkshire Medical Center's Emergency Department for gunshot wounds to his leg. The victim was treated and released.
The incident is under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Detective Bureau at 413-448-9705. Information can be provided anonymously through the drug tip line at 413-448-9708, by texting PITTIP and a message to TIP411 (847411).
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Friday, Jan. 20.
Timothy Welch, 48, of Pittsfield was found not guilty of two counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, two counts of wanton destruction of property, and a single count of larceny from a building.
Welch was accused of breaking into Ken's Bowl and Koto Restaurant on October 12, 2014.
A single count of common and notorious thief was dismissed by the court.
Welch pleaded guilty to single counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony, possession of burglarous tools, larceny from a building, and common and notorious thief. Welch is broken into the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield on May 12, 2016.
He was sentenced on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 to serve two and a half years at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the breaking and entering charge. He was given two and a half years, to be served on and after the first sentence, on the larceny in a building charge. He was placed on five years probation on the other charges.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
Henri Caudle, 21, of Holyoke had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of illegal possession of a large capacity weapon, illegal possession of a large capacity feeding device, possession of a large capacity firearm during the commission of a felony, improper storage of a large capacity firearm, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws to wit possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws to wit possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $15,000 bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at 144 Brayton Hill Terrace in North Adams on December 6, 2016.
Kevin Smith, 20, of Holyoke had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of illegal possession of a large capacity weapon, illegal possession of a large capacity feeding device, possession of a large capacity firearm during the commission of a felony, improper storage of a large capacity firearm, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws to wit possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws to wit possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $15,000 bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at 144 Brayton Hill Terrace in North Adams on December 6, 2016.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Terry Martizna, 26, of Lanesborough had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of illegal possession of a large capacity feeding device, armed career felon, illegal possession of a firearm - his second offense - illegal possession of a loaded firearm, and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $25,000 bail. The charge stem from a motor vehicle stop in Pittsfield on December 12, 2016.
Derrick Saunders Jr., 21, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of illegal possession of a large capacity feeding device, illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a loaded firearm, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, and possession of counterfeit notes.
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 December 12, 2016.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, Jan. 26.
Kyle Forbes, 23, of Dalton was found not guilty of single counts of stealing by confining, unarmed robbery, and larceny from a building.
The charges stemmed from the robbery of the Shell Gas Station in Dalton on July 19, 2015.
Jessica Trotter, 40, of North Adams had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on single counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws to wit possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws to wit possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
She was ordered to be held at the Hampden County House of Correction Chicopee Woman's Facility on $2,500 bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at her home on December 6, 2016.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Emergency responders spent about an hour searching the Hoosic River along State Road on Wednesday before determining that a report of two youngsters in the river was unfounded.
City and Williamstown police and firefighters, as well as North Adams Ambulance personnel, searched the riverside Wednesday beginning at about noon.
But the juveniles they were looking for turned out to be two people in a raft who were fishing.
"Through the investigation, NAPD located the two individuals that went in from the flood chute and they were in that location at that time," Fire Director Stephen Meranti said. "They confused [the caller] because they were bracing themselves against the wall."
Meranti said the call came in from the Greylock Club after a motorist said she saw the two people while driving into the city from the west.
"She could see the concrete flood chute behind them," he said. "We were sure that's where pretty much these guys went into the river."
Meranti said police officers eventually located the raft and the two people said they were in the area at the time.
Emergency service personnel walked the river bank and asked people along the bank if they saw anything. No one reported any sightings of children in the flood chute.
A command center was set up at Holy Family Terrace and the investigation lasted nearly an hour.
"You just have to make sure," Meranti said. "You have people in the area, and you have vehicles in the area with tracks going down to the river and no tracks coming out . … We just have to be thorough and it was a collaborative effort."
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The district attorney's office says 55-year-old Mark Marauszwski, of Pittsfield, is in stable condition after being shot by a Pittsfield Police officer Wednesday morning at Rotary Park.
Marauszwski allegedly led police on a chase throughout the city's center Wednesday morning, ending at Rotary Park on Springside Avenue. There he was shot by Officer Martin Streit, according to the district attorney's office.
Marauszwski was transferred to Berkshire Medical Center and is now in stable condition.
Authorities said Office David Hallas had pulled over the sports utility vehicle Marauszwski was driving on Bartlett Avenue around 9:09 a.m. He allegedly struck Hallas with the door of the vehicle and then sped off.
Hallas and other officers, including Streit, chased the vehicle through the center of the city and into the parking lot of Rotary Park.
The district attorney's office says at the park Marauszwski drove at Streit, who was outside of the cruiser. Streit then fired three shots from his service weapon at the vehicle, two of which struck the vehicle and one hitting Marauszwski. The Mercedes that Marauszwski was driving came to a stop as it crashed into a cement post.
Officer administered first aid to Marauszwski and he was transported by ambulance to the hospital. He was treated in the Emergency Department and placed under arrest. He faces charges of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, operating after a suspension, failure to stop for a police officer, and two counts of assault by means of a dangerous weapon.
State police assigned to the district attorney's office are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The pursuit ended at Rotary Park on Springside Avenue.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A routine traffic stop on Bartlett Avenue on Wednesday morning turned into a police pursuit through the center of the city that resulted in an officer firing on the vehicle.
Police Chief Michael Wynn said the incident occurred at about 9:09 a.m. when officers reported that the stop had turned into a pursuit.
"Within 5 minutes, we were informed by the involved officers that they were involved in a scene of shots fired and the suspect was in custody," the chief said at the scene outside Rotary Park on Springside Avenue.
The pursuit ended when the driver of the vehicle tried to cut through the park and struck a cement barrier post.
Both the officer and the individual in the motor vehicle were taken to Berkshire Medical Center according to protocol, he said.
Wynn declined at this point to say if anyone had been injured, citing the active investigation.
"What we believe at this time is one officer fired his weapon at the vehicle that was involved in the pursuit," he said, and that only one person was in the vehicle.
Springside Avenue is currently closed between Glenwood Avenue and Brown Street.
Wynn said state police from the Cheshire barracks are helping to cover the city with patrols as Pittsfield Police Department works the investigation. The city has also requested the aid of the state police detective unit assigned to the district attorney's office.
"There's obviously so many of our people involved," he said. "Our crime scene unit and our traffic unit will be mapping the scene for the state police."
Any further information, Wynn said, will come through the district attorney's office.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
Valerie Soules, 63, of Pittsfield, pleaded guilty to a single count of sexual relations with inmates.
She was placed on three-years probation and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. Soules engaged in a sexual relationship with an inmate while employed at the Berkshire County House of Correction.
The incident occurred between October 1, 2014 and September 17, 2015.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, Jan. 19.
Tonia O'Brien, 19, of Hinsdale, pleaded guilty to single counts of assault and battery upon a child with substantial bodily injury, reckless endangerment of a child, misleading a police officer, and assault and battery.
She was ordered to serve eight to 12 years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Framingham on the assault and battery upon a child charge. She was given concurrent eight to ten years on the misleading a police officer charge. And she was given current time at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the other charges.
O'Brien assaulted a two and a half-month-old baby on December 31, 2015 and assaulted a 57-year-old woman between December 14, 2015 and December 15, 2015 in Hinsdale.
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