NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Police are warning residents to make sure their car and garage doors are locked after a series of break-ins in the West End.
Unsecured cars and a few garages have been entered over the past two weeks in the Notch Road area, including Marion and Woodlawn avenues.
"We can't stress this enough: you must lock your doors," said Police Director Michael Cozzaglio on Thursday. "Times have changed."
Residents are also advised not to leave valuable in their cars and to secure their garages. At least one resident had valuables taken from an unlocked car in an unlocked garage. The break-ins were described as crimes of opportunity, in which the thief or thieves are swiftly rifling unlocked vehicles.
Residents should be alert and report any late-night suspicious activity to the police by calling 911.
READSBORO, Vt. — A local man is being held with two other men on charges of sexual assault of a minor.
Jonathan Deblois, 21, of Readsboro is being held at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield after being charged with sexual assault, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and furnishing alcohol.
State police say that a 14-year-old girl broke into the Wardsboro Highway Department in the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 23, called 911 and reported she had been assaulted in the town of Wilmington by three men.
She was transported for treatment to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, where a detective trooper interviewed her and confirmed that the alleged assault had occurred in Wilmington.
A joint investigation with Wilmington Police led authorities to an East Main Street residence, where Dennis Pike Jr. resided, and a search warrant was executed.
Pike, 26, and Codie Johnson, 20, of Jacksonville were also both charged with sexual assault, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and furnishing alcohol. They were both taken to Southern State for lack of bail.
Deblois and Pike are being held on $10,000 bail; Johnson on $5,000.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police are investigating the drowning of a 2-year-old girl on Saturday afternoon.
According to Police, Raquel Paris drown in the family swimming pool on Victor Street Saturday. She was found in the water at about 3:15 and first responders were called.
She was rushed to Berkshire Medical Center and pronounced dead shortly after. An autopsy will be performed Tuesday at the Chief Medical Examiner in Boston to determine the cause of death.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Monday, July 8.
Jamel Nicholson, 24, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of distribution of cocaine in connection with the sale of cocaine in Pittsfield on November 30, 2011. He also pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate drug laws, to wit distribution of cocaine in connection with conspiring with others to sell cocaine on March 20, 2012.
He was released on personal recognizance pending sentencing on Monday, July 22.
A single count of misleading a police officer was continued without a change of plea for one year. That charge was related to providing misleading information to officers investigating the shooting death of Nikolas Carnute on December 4, 2011.
Cheyenne Allessio, 20, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of distribution of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
She was released on personal recognizance pending sentencing on Monday, July 15. The incidents occurred in Pittsfield between November 17, 2011 and June 15, 2012.
Two counts of drug violation in a school zone were dismissed by the state.
Amy Ladouceur, 29, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of distribution of oxycodone and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
He was placed one two years probation. Ladouceur sold oxycodone and conspired with others to sell the drug in Pittsfield on January 3, 2012.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, July 9.
Michael Cahalan, 43, of Lee had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on three counts of knowingly possessing visual material of a child depicted in sexual conduct and a single count of dissemination of visual material of a child in a state of nudity.
He was released on personal recognizance. The incidents allegedly occurred in Lee between January 13, 2013 and February 11, 2013.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, July 10.
Janine Shepard, 48, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of larceny over $250 and making false entries into corporate records.
She was ordered to serve two years at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the larceny charge and given a one year sentence, to be served after the first, on the making false entries into corporate records charge. She will serve three years in the Berkshire County House of Correction in total.
Shepard took approximately $200,000 while employed at Greylock Federal Credit Union between January 1, 2010 and February 18, 2012.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, July 11.
Matthew Demastrie, 27, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of armed robbery.
He was ordered to serve three to five years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction. The charge stems from an armed robbery of Angelina's Submarine Shop on Wahconah Street on November 1, 2011.
Andrew Saunders, 40, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on single counts of conspiracy to violate drug laws, to wit trafficking in oxycodone and trafficking in oxycodone.
He was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $35,000 cash or $350,000 surety bail. The charge stem from a motor vehicle stop in Richmond on June 2, 2013.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Monday, July 15.
Eden Lemaire, 23, of North Adams pleaded guilty to single counts of possession of Oxycontin with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws, possession of naloxone and buprenoprphione and possession of ecstacy.
She was sentenced to serve nine months of a two year sentence at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the possession of Oxycontin with intent to distribute and the conspiracy to violate drug laws charges. She was also placed on one year probation.
The charges stem the from the execution of a search warrant at the Willows Motel in Williamstown on April 2, 2010. A single count of conspiracy to violate drug laws was dismissed by the state.
Cheyenne Allessio, 20, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of distribution of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
She was ordered to serve one year at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the possession of cocaine charge and the other charges were continued without a finding for two years.
The incidents occurred in Pittsfield between November 17, 2011 and June 15, 2012. Two counts of a drug violation in a school zone were dismissed by the state.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, July 16.
Brandy Hebert, 33, of Adams pleaded guilty to seven counts of larceny of a firearm, four counts of conspiracy to wit, breaking and entering a building in the day time, three counts of breaking and entering and single counts of possession of cocaine and possession heroin.
She was ordered to serve concurrent nine month sentences at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the breaking and entering, larceny and conspiracy charges. The possession charges were continued without a finding.
The charges stem from house breaks in Cheshire between April 13, 2012 and August 31, 2012. Seven counts of illegal possession of a firearm and single counts of breaking and entering and being present where heroin is kept were dismissed by the state.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, July 17.
Ryan Yon, 25, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of armed robbery in connection with a robbery of Angelina's Submarine Shop on Wahconah Street on November 1, 2011. He also pleaded guilty to single counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, larceny over $250 and conspiracy to commit larceny over $250 in connection with an incident in Pittsfield on July 20, 2011.
He was ordered to serve concurrent four to six years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction on the armed robbery, breaking and entering, larceny and conspiracy charges.
One count of possession of heroin was dismissed by the state.
Mark Rathbun, 30, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of armed robbery.
He was ordered to serve three and a half to five years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction.
Rathbun held up a clerk at Berkshire Pipe and Tobacco on Tyler Street in Pittsfield on May 19, 2013.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Police say if someone was recently raped, murdered and then left on the side of the road, nobody told them.
iBerkshires has fielded inquiries from multiple people over the last two days about a heinous crime. We were asked if about a 12-year-old girl being raped and murdered or if there were two people murdered — both stories ended with the body(s) being left on the side of a Williamstown road. We contacted Williamstown Police and they said that nothing was reported to them.
"If it happened in Williamstown, Mass., then it has not yet been reported to us," Police Chief Kyle Johnson said.
The stories we heard involved Vermont State Police and New York as though the culprits had taken off north after dumping the body(s). We were told traffic had to be rerouted for an investigation.
iBerkshires is betting that with something like this, the Police would hear about it.
We googled Williamstown, murder, bodies, rape, etc. in various combination in hopes to find where the rumor originated.
In Williamstown, N.J., there was a murder last month. But, other than it being a murder, the rest of the details didn't fit. A body found in Williamstown, N.J. in 2005 made news recently because a new reward was offered. But that didn't really match the stories we heard here either.
We also know locally state Police are searching for the body of James "Jamie" Lusher in a pond in Becket. Lusher was killed 21 years ago when he was 16 at the time. Lewis Lent confessed to that murder and he had previously confessed to killing a 12-year-old girl. So... maybe people are conflating those?
But that is about as far iBerkshires went with investigating the rumor because, frankly, we've seen these things before and if there was a murder, we would have heard of a lot more about it. So would the Police. At this point, we're thinking that it unlikely that it happened in Williamstown.
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