Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
George Chapman, 30, of Springfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of 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 $10,000 bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at 66 Angeli Street in North Adams on August 6, 2015.
Mark Daniels, 33, of North Adams had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute - his second offense - and a single count of conspiracy to violate drug laws.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $5,000 bail. One of the possession charges and the conspiracy charge both stem from the execution of a search warrant at 50 Dalton Avenue in Pittsfield on September 23, 2015. The other possession charge is the result of a motor vehicle stop five days later.
Michael Purry, 41, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on two counts of conspiracy to violate drug laws, two counts of drug violation in a park zone, and single counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute - his second offense - possession of cocaine with intent to distribute - his second offense - possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, armed career felon, illegal ownership of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, and improper storage of a firearm.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $25,000 cash or $250,000 surety bail. The charges stem from the execution of a search warrant at his home on September 16, 2015.
Cathleen Crawford, 36, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on two counts of conspiracy to violate drug laws, drug violation in a park zone, and single counts of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, illegal ownership of a firearm, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, and improper storage of a firearm.
The charges are in connection to the execution of a search warrant at her home on September 16, 2015. She was ordered to be held at the Hampden County House of Correction Chicopee Women's Facility on $1,000 bail.
Sam Wassilie, 37, of Hudson, N.Y. had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on 17 counts of videotaping persons nude or partially nude, and five counts of videotaping sexual parts of children under the age of 18.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $5,000 bail. Wassilie is accused of installing a video recording device in a public restroom at Pinegrove Park in Dalton between September 14, 2014 and October 26, 2014.
North Adams Ambulance Service responded to a small fire at Ashland Park Apartments on Friday afternoon.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Firefighters evacuated some residents from the high rise on Friday afternoon after a small cooking fire broke out on the 7th floor.
Fire Director Stephen Meranti said the fire was quickly put out by the sprinkler system.
"Right now we are evacuating because of smoke and water. We do have water all the way from the seventh floor all the way down," Meranti said. "We are checking apartments as we go down through, but the sprinkler system did its job."
Meranti said no one was injured.
The Fire Department was alerted to the situation at about 12:30 p.m., when an alarm was activated in a unit at the Ashland Park Apartments. Scanner reports indicated water was "pouring down the hallways" in the Housing Authority building.
Residents clustered in the community room on the ground floor until being allowed back into their homes.
Executive Director Jennifer Hohn said a few units below the seventh-floor apartment were affected.
"A significant amount of water from the sprinklers has entered the units directly below on all floors," she said. "As a result of water seeping into electrical panels, power to these affected units has been shut off."
Hohn said the Holiday Inn was gracious to offer accommodations and a meal for those residents affected by the fire and its containment.
"There is a chance the power will not be restored by the evening so I have reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn for anybody needing accommodations," she said. "I will update the board when a further assessment of the damage is concluded.
"The important thing is nobody was injured."
Police and North Adams Ambulance Service also responded; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Police assisted with traffic control as Ashland Street was restricted to one lane.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Police are seeking the driver of a dark Pontiac Sunfire who hit a North Adams man on Wednesday night and drove off.
James Dean was struck while crossing State Street to his home at about 7:45 p.m. He was reportedly carrying white laundry bags and attempted get out of the way as the car sped down on him. He was struck and left in the street; a neighbor saw him and was able to get to him before another car came through.
Dean was taken to Berkshire Medical Center by North Adams Ambulance Service with serious injuries.
The incident occurred near 191 State St. Police received several calls that a man had been hit by a vehicle and knocked down in the street.
Initially, police were looking for a black pickup truck, but the victim identified the vehicle as a Sunfire.
Adams Police Department was asked to be on the lookout for a black Pontiac Sunfire with front passenger-side damage.
As of Thursday afternoon, the motorist had not been found and the incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact North Adams Police at 413-448-9700.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Jonathan Kirchner, 33, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to two counts of breaking and entering in the daytime, two counts of larceny from a building, two counts of receiving stolen property, and a single count of attempt to commit a crime.
He was ordered to serve two to three years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction. The incidents occurred in Pittsfield and Lanesborough between April 28, 2014 and August 19, 2015.
Kayla Ferrell-Gibbs, 22, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of cocaine, and single counts of conspiracy to violate drug laws and possession of a counterfeit substance with intent to distribute.
All charges were continued for two years. The charges stem from drug sales in Pittsfield between September 22, 2014 and September 30, 2014.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Joshua Capitanio, 33, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of possession of an infernal machine, reckless endangerment of a child, and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card.
The charges are in connection with an incident in Pittsfield on March 3, 2015. He was released on personal recognizance pending sentencing.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A school bus carrying Mount Greylock Regional School students was involved in an accident in New York State on Tuesday.
WNYT Channel 13 reported that the bus carrying 43 eighth-graders to the battlefield at Saratoga National Historical Park collided with a truck on Stover Road in Valley Falls, N.Y.
According to student newspaper The Greylock Echo, it was one of two buses being used to transport the school's eighth grade on a field trip.
The bus was "swiped by a truck while crossing an intersection" shortly before 11 a.m., the Echo reported, and that damage was minimal.
The students and staff were cleared by emergency responders while the first bus transported its passenger to the battlefield, about 10 or 20 minutes away. It then returned to pick up the others.
Dufour Bus Co., which contracts with Mount Greylock, sent a new bus for the return trip.
"Some students were jostled, and certainly some kids had heightened levels of anxiety, but no one was hurt," Mount Greylock Principal Mary MacDonald said on Tuesday evening.
MacDonald said one of the chaperones on the trip, a nurse, checked out the students and found that they were OK before EMTs arrived at the scene.
Word of the fender-bender first reached Williamstown when students on the trip began sending texts to their parents. School Vice Principal Jacob Schutz sent an email to all of the families involved shortly thereafter.
They only downside of the incident was that half the students on the trip had their visit to the battleground cut short. "But they still had the experience," MacDonald said.
We show up at hurricanes, budget meetings, high school games, accidents, fires and community events. We show up at celebrations and tragedies and everything in between. We show up so our readers can learn about pivotal events that affect their communities and their lives.
How important is local news to you? You can support independent, unbiased journalism and help iBerkshires grow for as a little as the cost of a cup of coffee a week.
North Adams Ambulance Service responded to a small fire at Ashland Park Apartments on Friday afternoon.
