North Adams Man Charged for Attempted Sex With Child

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A city man has been arrested by the FBI on charges related to enticing a minor.
 
James Macko, 23, was arrested Friday and charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor. 
 
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office of Northern District of New York, the criminal complaint alleges that between Nov. 16, 2022, and Dec. 9, 2022, Macko texted another person in Albany, N.Y. 
 
In these messages, Macko expressed interest in engaging in sexual conduct with an 11-year-old child. Macko and the other person discussed plans in which Macko would meet them at a prearranged location in order to engage in sexual acts with the child.  
 
On Dec. 9, Macko left his home to meet the presumed child in North Adams at Natural Bridge State Park, where he was encountered by law enforcement and arrested. 
 
Macko is also charged with transferring pornographic images to a person he believed to be 11 years old.
 
Macko appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christian F. Hummel, who ordered Macko detained pending a detention hearing scheduled Tuesday, Dec. 13. 
 
The charges filed against Macko carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years and up to life.  A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. 
 
This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Clark. 
 
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, special agent in charge of the Albany field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
 
This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

Tags: child abuse,   FBI,   

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New York Times Bestselling Author to Speak at MCLA's MOSAIC

NORTH ADAMS, MASS. — The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host a special lecture, "The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Countercultural Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary," featuring New York Times bestselling author Susannah Cahalan. 
 
The event will take place on April 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the MOSAIC Event Space on 49 Main St., North  Adams. This event is free and open to the public. 
 
According to a press release:
 
Presented as part of the Politics of the Visual: Lecture Series in Visual Culture, this talk will explore the legacy of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, a key but often overlooked figure in the 1960s counterculture movement. 
 
Known primarily as the wife of Timothy Leary, Rosemary played a pivotal role in the psychedelic movement, from her participation in peyote ceremonies with Beat artists to her involvement in Leary's infamous acid commune in Millbrook, NY, and her eventual status as an international fugitive. Drawing from archival materials and an unfinished memoir, Cahalan will reconstruct Rosemary's journey, shedding light on her contributions to the cultural and political landscape of the era. 
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