Pittsfield Police Asking Residents To ID Stolen Property

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police have recovered hundreds of pieces of jewelry and other items that are not matching up with their records of items reported stolen in a recent rash of break-ins.

Anyone who has had their home broken into prior to March 22 is being asked to identify their possessions at an open house on Saturday, June 8, from 10 to 2 at the Police Department on Allen Street.

Police say the items either haven't been reported stolen or were stolen from homes outside of city. The investigation is being done by state, Cheshire, Lanesborough and Pittsfield police. Some of the recovered property has already be linked to break-ins in those communities and in Richmond.

Police have arrested Christopher Maschino Jr., 21, and Anne Haughey, 21, both of Pittsfield, in connection with the break-ins.

Even if the owners of the seized property can identify it, they cannot take possession of their items immediately because they are being held as evidence until released by the district attorney's office.

Attendees are required to bring a valid identification to the open house and are asked to bring any ownership documents.

Richmond's New Fire Command Vehicle on the Road

Richmond Man May Be Missing

Family and friends of Dr. Michael Roth, a veterinarian in Richmond, are concerned that he might be missing.

 The first report of his possible disappearance was posted by Dan Valenti, a regular contributor to The Pittsfield Gazette. In his blog Planet Valenti, he put out a plea asking anyone who knew of Roth's whereabouts to call the state police barracks in Lee or to contact Valenti himself. According to police, Roth's elderly parents, who live in Kinderhook, N.Y., were worried because they had not heard from their son in nearly a week.

As of this Tuesday morning, according to state police in Lee, no one has filed a missing person case on Roth's behalf.

Several calls made to Roth's house this morning went unanswered.

Michael Roth has a mobile medical practice and is affiliated with the Animal ER of the Berkshires as well as the Berkshire Veterinary Hospital.

 Several photos of him can be found at his Meetup page, where he describes himself as a "vegan veterinarian living just over the NY line in Richmond." According to his profile there, he belongs to several vegan groups as well as the Berkshire Enthusiasts through which he signed up last week for a Moonlight Snowshoe Trek this Thursday night, Jan. 20, at the Arcadia Shops.

 If you have any information as to his whereabouts, contact the state police barracks in Lee at 413-243-0600 or e-mail Valenti at danvalenti@verizon.net.

As of Thursday, repeated calls to Roth's home have gone unanswered.

Man Struck, Killed by Train in Richmond

RICHMOND, Mass. — A 28-year-old man was struck and killed by a train in Richmond late Tuesday afternoon. The man's name had not yet been released pending notification of kin.

According to an eyewitness, it appeared that the man jumped in front of the moving train.    

State police detectives assigned to the district attorney's office, in charge of the investigation, say the CSX freight train struck the man about 4 p.m. in the vicinity of Town Beach Road. Dr. Benjamin Glick, a local state medical examiner, pronounced the man dead at the scene.  

State police investigators were assisted at the scene by state troopers from the Lee barracks, members of the Pittsfield Police Department and the Richmond Volunteer Fire Department.  

Update: Police on Wednesday afternoon released the man's name. He was Nicholas Van Alstine of Amesbury. He was strucked and killed by a CSX freight train. According to eyewitnesses, it appeared that Van Alstine jumped in front of the moving train, and investigators are treating his death as a suicide.

Richmond Cottage Destroyed by Fire

RICHMOND, Mass. — With Thursday's high winds, it wasn't a good day to do any outside burning but apparently, one Richmond resident didn't think so — with terrible results.

Police Officer Tom Grizzy said volunteer firefighters from Richmond, Hancock, West Stockbridge and Canaan, N.Y., responded to the 1 p.m. call after sparks from a controlled burn landed on an abandoned cottage on Richmond Shores.

The cottage was totally destroyed by the blaze. After the fire was knocked down, a backhoe was brought in to level the smoldering ruins. Police said action against the neighbor who decided burn yard waste in high winds may be pending.