ADAMS, Mass. —  A possible hostage situation that lasted more than three hours ended around 7 p.m. on Tuesday with one person in custody.

 

According to a statement by the Adams Police Department, the report of a possible domestic violence/hostage situation on Notch Road was called in about 3:30 p.m. 

 

The Adams Police Department activated the Berkshire County Special Response Team, and called for additional assistance from the state police and the North Adams Police Department.

 

Police say they had started receiving Facebook messages from a man stating that there was a threat of a firearm in the home and that he was unable to leave the home safely to the perimeter police had established around the area. Friend Street had been blocked between Lincoln and Maple Street and the connecting streets on Valley Street. 

 

Officers attempted to maintain communication with the individual through Facebook and phone calls. It was apparent that as the situation continued and communications were continued that the individual who had originally contacted the police was possibly under the influence of an illicit drug and/or alcoholic beverages or having a possible mental health crisis.

 

The Special Response Team was able to move into the home and safely secured two men within the home. Officers reported that the person who had originally contacted the police had been destroying everything in the home and screaming at the top of his lungs. This person was transported to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield for an evaluation, and the other person was arrested on an outstanding warrant from New Hampshire and will face a fugitive from justice charge.

 

No further charges have been filed at this time and the incident remains under investigation by the Adams Police Department. Because of the nature of this call and the possibility of domestic violence, no further information will be made available.

 

The Adams Police Department stated it would like to thank all the outside agencies involved in this incident to include members of the Berkshire County Special Response Team, state police, North Adams Police Department, and the Adams Ambulance Service for their swift response and support throughout this incident.

ADAMS, Mass. —  Adams Police had a busy few days that included pursuing a man who ran from a traffic stop and arresting a teenager who drove a truck into a house.

 

The first arrest was made Friday morning just before 1 when an officer attempted to stop a silver Mercedes on Columbia Street after running its Connecticut plates. 

 

The plates came back as suspended/revoked, according a press release from the Police Department, and the registered owner of the motor vehicle had had the right to operate suspended.

 

The Mercedes did not stop and took off quickly down Burt Street and through the intersection at Friend Street, where the driver then crashed onto a lawn.

 

According to the release, the driver then took off on foot into the woods. Kumar, the department's K9, was called on scene.

 

After a brief investigation, officers located the suspect at his parents' house.

 

The man was not the registered owner of the vehicle and also possessed a lifetime suspended Massachusetts drivers license for being a habitual traffic offender.

 

He was charged with resisting arrest, speeding, leaving the scene property damage, failing to stop for police, operating to endanger, and driving with a suspended license and registration. 

 

A second arrest was made Sunday night around 11:30 for a report of a truck crashing into a house on Leh's Lane. 

 

According to a release, police found that the driver had fled the scene in the vehicle. The truck had also hit other items, including a utility pole that was struck as the driver tried to make way through the dead-end street.

 

After conferring with a witness, officers believed that the truck was still in the area and continued their search.

 

The vehicle, which had extensive damage, was quickly located on a nearby street and officers soon after located the operator nearby.

 

Adams Ambulance personnel and the officers evaluated the operator, who was determined to be a juvenile and under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of .18 percent.

 

The boy was later arrested for operating under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of property damage, and operating to endanger.

 

Adams Fire Department was also called to the scene to check the structure of the home.

ADAMS, Mass. — Police are hoping the public can help identify the "grinch" who robbed a Howland Avenue gas station at knifepoint early Thursday morning. 

 

Patrol officers assigned to the midnight shift responded to the Mobil Gas Station at approximately 12:15 a.m. Thursday for what was reported as a masked individual who had brandished a large knife and demanded cash and cigarettes from the store clerk.

 

The person fled on foot prior to police arrival with an undisclosed small amount of U.S. currency and a pack of cigarettes.

 

Surveillance photos provided by the convenience store show a person in jeans, sneakers and an oversized gray hooded sweat shirt entering the store. The suspect has blue scarf or other material over their nose and mouth and is carrying what appears to be a long blade or cook's knife. 

 

Police are requesting assistance in an attempt to identify the person and is also looking for any home surveillance footage from Howland Avenue north of Butler Street toward North Adams as well Old Columbia Street. Anyone with with information can contact police at 413-743-1212.

FLORIDA, Mass. — Three people were injured when a small plane crashed in a wooded area off Church Street on Friday evening. 

 

According to state police, the plane was located at about 6:50 p.m. by state police patrols, the Florida Fire Department and Northern Berkshire EMS. Two adults and a teenager were taken to Berkshire Medical Center with minor injuries; a dog in the plane was unharmed. 

 

Authorities say the pilot was trying to make an emergency landing at Harriman & West Airport in North Adams when airport personnel lost contact with shortly before the crash. 

 

The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Authority and the Massachusetts Aeronautics division.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Becket man pleaded guilty on Monday in Berkshire Superior Court to human trafficking charges. 

 

Randy Lambach, 47, was sentenced to 10 to 12 years in state prison by Judge John Agostini on nine counts of human trafficking, seven counts of deriving support from prostitution, and single counts of intimidation of a witness, and conspiracy. 

 

Lambach had been charged with two counts of enticing a child under the age of 16, and single counts of open and gross lewdness, and dissemination of harmful matter to a minor. Agostini ordered him to serve five years concurrently on those charges and an additional five years probation. Lambach also pled guilty to a single count of rape. Agostini ordered him to serve five to seven years in state prison, concurrently, on that charge.

 

In total, he will serve 10 to 12 years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction and on probation for 10 years afterward.

 

The conditions of probation include that Lambach register with the sex offender registry board, have no contact with any of his victims, have no contact with children under the age of 18, complete sex offender, mental health, and drug and alcohol evaluations and comply with all related treatment recommendations and guidelines. He also must comply with drug screens and not purchase, possess or consume any regulated drugs without a valid prescription.

 

The Berkshire District attorney's office praised the significant effort of the Pittsfield Police Department for its lengthy investigation into the trafficking operation. The charges date back to 2014 and, for years, Lambach coerced women into forced prostitution.

 

"Human trafficking is one of the world's fastest growing criminal activities, operating on the same scale as the illegal trade of guns and drugs, and this case demonstrates that human trafficking occurs right here in our community," District Attorney Andrea Harrington said. "My office is working with law enforcement to empower sex-trafficking victims who are often vulnerable women who are preyed upon by greedy and brutal people. We are grateful for the diligent collaboration with the Pittsfield Police Department in holding this perpetrator accountable and making our community safer for women and girls."