North Adams Man Charged In Fatal Hit And Run Accident

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A 32-year-old North Adams man was arraigned Friday on charges related to the fatal accident last week that killed Alan Keefe of Pittsfield.

 

Brian Dillard is accused of crashing a stolen pickup truck he was driving into the 49-year-old Keefe, who was operating a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, on Linden Street and then fleeing the scene. The accident occurred at about 5:40 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 24.

 

He was arrested by North Adams Police on Thursday evening on an outstanding warrant and transferred to Central Berkshire District Court on Friday afternoon to answer to the motor vehicle homicide charges.

 

Dillard was ordered to be held without bail at the Berkshire County House of Correction on two counts of negligent operation of a motor vehicle and single counts of leaving the scene of property damage, leaving the scene of personal injury and death, and motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation.

 

According to the probable cause report filed by Pittsfield Police in District Court, Dillard was an employee of Cariddi Auto Sales and allegedly took one of the shop's trucks to purchase heroin in Pittsfield. Police say Dillard had picked up his paycheck in North Adams but nobody say how he left the property.

 

Dillard allegedly hit Keefe's motorcycle while driving a shop-owned truck and then left it on South John Street and fled on foot. 

 

When contacted by police that his vehicle had been found connected to the crash, Cariddi Auto Sales owner Guy Cariddi said he was unaware the vehicle was missing that Friday. The truck was apparently at the business at 5 p.m. when he had left for the day, unsecured with the keys in it. He later confirmed it was missing and reported it stolen to the North Adams Police Department.

 

Police received a number of statements from witnesses at the scene and then posted a photo of the truck on Facebook asking for any information about the driver.

 

Two witnesses provided statements with descriptions that matched Dillard, according to the police report. One witness said he had seen the vehicle in the neighborhood multiple times. Another woman provided a statement that she had been asked, and provided, Dilliard a ride back to North Adams. A co-worker of Dillard reported the two had gone separate ways that evening to purchase heroin and reconvened in North Adams later. Another witness identified Dillard from a series of mugshots provided by the North Adams Police. 

 

On Tuesday, North Adams Police made an arrest in a breaking and entering case, also involving Cariddi's Auto Sales, and the man arrested provided a statement that he was friends with Dillard and was told about the situation. 

 

Dillard had previously had his licenses revoked for an operating under the influence of drugs charge in 2016. In 2015, he also had two guilty findings of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.