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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.
Police Search Apartment Connected To Murder Suspect
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State and local police, as well as FBI according to a witness at the scene, left 31 Angeli St. in the Greylock Valley Apartments complex shortly before 2 p.m.
Chalue is charged in the murder of David Glasser, Robert Chadwell and Edward Frampton, whose bodies were discovered a week after they were reported missing on Aug. 28. Also charged in the deaths are Adam Hall and Caius Veiovis, aka Roy Gutfinski; David Casey of Canaan, N.Y., has been charged as an accessory.
It was not clear if police found anything in the unit; a car was reportedly being searched at the police station earlier in the day but it's not known if the vehicle was connected in anyway. Chalue's Angeli Street address was revealed at his arraignment along with an address on Beacon Street in Springfield.
Police at the Angeli declined to comment; an email to the district attorney's office was not immediately returned.
High-Speed Chase Ends in Crash
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A high-speed chase on Saturday night ended with a single-car crash on Route 2 that sent three of the vehicle's occupants to the hospital.
According to police, Michael Gancarz, 18, of Lime Street, Adams, was traveling north on Howland Avenue at speeds in excess of 100 mph in a 2006 Subaru Impreza at about 9:30.
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 The vehicle was totaled; booms can be seen near where the car landed to contain any oil leakage. |
Adams Police pursued and contacted North Adams Police. Within minutes, the Subaru had smashed through the guardrails and a stop sign at the intersection of Curran Memorial Highway and South State Street, near The Range miniature golf course.
The car went airborne and landed in a ditch near the near a body of water.
Passengers Justin Meczywor, 17, of Clarksburg and two girls whose names were not released because of their ages were taken to North Adams Regional Hospital.
Gancarz was charged by Adams Police with operating a vehicle with intent to endanger, failing to stop for police, a marked-lanes violation and speeding.
| Tags: motor vehicle, accident, injuries |
Church Street Closed For Chlorine Smell
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A fire truck blocks traffic from entering Church Street at the intersection with Ashland Street on Thursday night. Homes near the Hoosac Tunnel were evacuated over reports of a strong smell of chlorine. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A stretch of Church Street was closed for more than three hours on Thursday night after a strong chlorine smell was reported near the Hoosac Tunnel.
The hazardous material team found no indication of chlorine and the scene was being cleared shortly after 11 p.m.
The Fire Department responded to 892 Church St., near the mouth of the Hoosac Tunnel at 8 p.m. according to the police log. Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco said two firefighters in protective gear approached the tunnel and saw an "orange cloud."
"Just to be safe, we evacuated some of the residences on Church Street and West Shaft Road," he said. The Florida Fire Department also was alerted to check the town's entrance to the five-mile railroad tunnel but found no odor on their end.
Morocco said a train had traveled through the tunnel prior to the report of the odor. Pan Am Railways was contacted and the train and cars were stopped in New York State and inspected but nothing was found.
Fire Director Stephen Meranti, two fire trucks, police, North Adams Ambulance Service and representatives from the railway were at the scene.
The road was closed between Hodges Cross and the intersection with Ashland Street. There are few residences along that section of road, with most of the frontage taken up by cemeteries, Morrison Berkshire, Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, the old cider mill, the School Department's greenhouse program and a bus depot.
Chlorine is a common disinfectant used widely in swimming pools. It can irritate the eyes and respiratory system and, in high concentrations, cause lung damage and even death.
The hazmat team arrived at about 9:30 and four team members went to the tunnel to take readings that came up negative. A hazmat truck was also reportedly on Main Street for a time.
"They didn't find anything. Whatever was there had dissipated," said Morocco.
Residents were going to be allowed back in their homes as the scene was cleared.
| Tags: odor, Hoosac Tunnel |
North Adams Fire Damages Apartment
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — An apartment fire at 585 State Road on Wednesday afternoon has left a couple temporarily homeless and shut down traffic on the busy highway for nearly an hour.
The fire was contained to the Apartment B duplex on the second floor but a second apartment with a single occupant suffered smoke damage. No one was injured and all the occupants evacuated safely.
When firefighters arrived they were unsure if there was anybody still in the building. The responders broke into two crews – one to search and the other to extinguish the fire in the second-floor bedroom, according to Fire Director Stephen Meranti.
"We had multiple calls on it so we call in all off-duty personnel," Meranti said. "The guys did a great job knocking it down quickly."
Utilities were also disconnected and firefighters protected the first floor with tarps to prevent water damage.
The building was being checked by Building Inspector William Meranti but was not believed to have suffered any structural damage. A fire watch was being set for the night.
The Red Cross was also called in for assistance.
The road, Route 2, was closed for about an hour between West Liquors and Ashton Avenue, although limited traffic was allowed through.
The fire was reported at 1:15 p.m. by multiple callers, at least one of whom described flames coming out of the building.
While on scene, the department also received calls of an alarm on Frederickson Street and a kitchen fire on Union Street. Wednesday morning the department also responded to a kitchen fire at Mohawk Forest.
| Tags: fire, apartment |
