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Joshua Christman was the first to alert authorities of more than a dozen cats abandoned on the eve a snowstorm in January. On Wednesday, he and his family were the first to adopt one of the cats, a ginger named Arlo Guthrie.
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Getting Arlo ready for his trip home.
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Executive Director of Berkshire Humane Society John Perreault thanks Christman.

First Cat From January Dumping Incident Finds Forever Home

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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Arlo Guthrie is a 10-month-old kitten who went to his forever home on Wednesday. A second cat is set to be adopted on Thursday but nine others still need homes. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The story began with a phone call to the Berkshire Humane Society from Good Samaritan Joshua Christman reporting a "roadblock of cats" and ended with one of the felines becoming a part of his family.

On Wednesday, the first of the 11 cats who were brought to the shelter after being dumped in Richmond and Lanesborough in late January went to a forever home.

Christman, who made the discovery while visiting a Richmond Pond with his daughter, adopted Arlo Guthrie, a 10-month-old domestic shorthair. He was accompanied by his wife, Jessica, and children Alice and Gabriel.

"It feels really good," he said about taking home the cat named after the local folk singer-songwriter.

"My wife saw him on the video and she fell in love with him immediately, I knew we would be coming to get him shortly after."

Soon after stumbling upon a literal roadblock of cats, Christman posted a video to his Facebook showing the scared animals scattered on the road, meowing; one even crawled up onto the wheel of his car.

It was clear that they wanted help.

The video has been viewed nearly 5,000 times.

"This is the man, this is the reason why all those cats are so lucky because he saw something, he reported it, and not only did he report it, Josh stayed behind and helped to support it," Executive Director of Berkshire Humane Society John Perreault said.

"It was because of Josh, the reason these cats had the ending that they did for sure."

The next morning, another group of cats was found in Lanesborough. All of the males are from Richmond and the females are from Lanesborough.


The cats were captured by Animal Dreams volunteers, Lanesborough Animal Control, and multiple rescuers.

Two Pittsfield individuals, Kelly Hathaway and Arthur W. Raney, are both facing 15 counts of animal cruelty for the alleged dumping of the cats. They had non-guilty pleas entered on their behalf in Pittsfield District Court in March and have a pre-trial hearing scheduled for May 9.

Christman said his family came in about a week after the rescue to check on the cats and Arlo climbed right up into his wife's chest.

"He's very friendly, he will fit in great with our cats," He added.

Mr. Guthrie will join six other rescues that are a part of the Christman family.

The remaining cats at the shelter range from long hairs to short hairs and vary in color. Their ages range from about 5 1/5 months to 7 years old. All have been vetted and neutered for adoption.

The females were given names that begin with D: Demi, Dixie, Darla, and Delilah, and the males were named after musicians: Ben King, Chuck Berry, Frank Sinatra, George Michael, and Dan Fogelberg.

One male, Eric Clapton, needs to improve medically before he can be adopted.

Chuck is set to go to his forever home Thursday and Demi has an interested adopter. The shelter reported that there has been interest in all of the available male cats but not yet in Dixie, Darla, and Delilah.

Christman said he has stayed in contact with some of the people who helped him out that night. He reported that there has been a lot of interest from the public in adopting the cats and hopes that they all find homes soon.

Adoption applications can be found on the shelter's website.


Tags: Berkshire Humane Society,   cats,   

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Superior Court Briefs: Nov. 14

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Cesar Lagunas, age 51, was found guilty of Rape and Intimidation of a Witness on Nov. 13 in Berkshire Superior Court.

According to the District Attorney's Office, on April 15, 2019, Lagunas raped a person and then threatened them with blackmail if they reported the rape.

"The survivor demonstrated immense strength and resilience throughout this process. I am thankful for the jury's decision and appreciate their service," District Attorney Shugrue said.

Mid-way through the trial, Lagunas, formerly of Pittsfield, fled to Mexico; however, Judge Agostini  determined that the trial could continue. A warrant has been issued for Cesar Lagunas arrest.

Chief of the Child Abuse Unit Andrew Giarolo represented the Commonwealth. Director of Victim Witness Advocates Jane Kibby-Pierce served on behalf of the Berkshire District Attorney's Office. The Pittsfield Police conducted the investigation.

Since fleeing to Mexico on Monday, Nov. 11, law enforcement response has included the Pittsfield Police Department, the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office; New York State Police and Homeland Security Investigation.
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On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Angel Nunez, age 51 formerly of Troy, NY, pleaded guilty to 15 indictments in connection with an organized theft ring.

Nunez pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court and was sentenced by Judge Agostini. The Berkshire District Attorney's Office requested two years in the House of Corrections. Defense requested a period of house arrest.

The Defendant was ultimately sentenced to two years of straight probation with the condition that he not commit a crime.

Nunez was facing charges related to three visits into Berkshire Bank locations on June 23 and 26 of 2023 and July 10, 2023. During these visits, the Defendant attempted to fraudulently withdraw money.

Nunez suffered a serious medical event while awaiting trial. Due to his condition, Nunez cannot be housed at the House of Corrections. A House of Corrections' facility does not provide the level of medical care that Nunez requires.

 

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