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Four-Car Crash Sends Two To North Adams Hospital
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According to police, Claire Staples, 84, of Dalton and Josephine Bianchi, 87, of Adams were transported to North Adams Regional Hospital after the accident. Their condition is still unknown.
Bianchi was the passenger of the 2000 Hyundai Staples was driving when it went through a red light at the intersection of Hodges Cross Road and Curran Highway. The Hyundai collided with a 2003 GMC pickup - driven by Harry Mountz, 46, of Pittsfield - that was crossing the highway onto Hodges Cross Road.
Mountz's vehicle spun off and collided with a tractor-trailer - driven by Thomas Bernier, 66, of Pownal, Vt. - and Staples' car veer off into a service van owned by O'Connell's Oil and driven by Robert Green, 58, of North Adams. Both the van and the tractor-trailer were stopped at the intersection and neither driver suffered injuries.
Traffic was rerouted around the scene for about 30 minutes. Citations are pending while the case is being investigated.
Superior Court Briefs: November 14 - November 18
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David Jones Jr., 28, of Adams had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on 19 counts of breaking and entering in the daytime, 15 counts of larceny from a building, nine counts of malicious destruction of personal property, two counts of receiving stolen property over $250 and a single count of attempt to commit breaking and entering in the daytime.
Jones was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $50,000 bail. The charges stem from a series of house break-ins in Adams, Cheshire, Florida, North Adams, Savoy and Williamstown between April 1 and Sept. 1.
Taequan Carter, 19, of Pittsfield was sentenced to two and a half years at the Berkshire County House of Correction after being found guilty on Thursday on one count of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.
The jury found Carter guilty of stabbing a 39-year-old man on July 29, 2010.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, November 15
Wendy Whitney, 40, of North Adams pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to violate drug laws.
She was placed on one-year probation. The incidents occurred between October 2, 2007 and January 23, 2008. Two counts of drug violation within a school zone were dismissed by the state.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, November 16
Tara Malloy, 27, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to 15 counts of receiving stolen property, 13 counts of breaking and entering in the daytime, 12 counts of larceny from a building, nine counts of malicious destruction of property, and single counts of failure to appear in court and common and notorious thief.
Malloy was sentenced to serve concurrent two-year sentences at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the breaking and entering, larceny, malicious destruction and receiving stolen property charges. She was given an additional three month sentence for the failure to appear charge and placed on three years probation on the common and notorious thief charge.
The charges stem from a series of house break-ins throughout the county between June 1, 2009 and November 19, 2009. The failure to appear charge stemmed from her failure to appear in court on April 12.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, November 17
Gerard Jones, 24, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on two counts of distribution of cocaine - his second offense - and two counts of conspiracy to violate drug laws.
Jones was ordered to be held at the Berkshire County House of Correction on $50,000 bail. Jones allegedly sold cocaine and conspired with others to sell cocaine in Pittsfield between October 1, 2010 and October 6, 2010.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Friday, November 18
Adam Smith, 32, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, drug violation in a school zone and possession of a dangerous weapon in connection with a motor vehicle stop in Pittsfield on March 28, 2009. Additionally, Smith pleaded guilty to single counts of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and drug violation in a school zone in connection to the execution of a search warrant in Pittsfield on December 31, 2010.
Smith was ordered to serve concurrent one-day sentenced to the Berkshire County House of Correction on the possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and the possession of a dangerous weapon charges. He was given concurrent three to three and a half year sentences at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction on the school zone violations.
EV Worldwide Exec Sentenced to Federal Prison
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Armitage, 56, was at the center of the EV scheme that received more than $1 million in federal and local grants to develop first an electric bus and then a nickel-hydrogen battery in Pittsfield several years ago. The promises of a 1,000 jobs or more evaporated as state and federal investigators exposed the company's questionable finances.
U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor sentenced Armitage, appearing in federal court in Springfield, to 66 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to a press release from the U.S. Justice Department, he was ordered to forfeit $24,010, and pay restitution of $1.5 million to the IRS; $191,819 to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue; $4.2 million to the Federal Transit Administration; and $215,138 to the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.
He pleaded guilty in October 2010 to three counts of false statements to a federally insured financial institution; three counts of tax evasion; one count of false statements to a federal official; one count of conspiracy, one count of false claims; and one count of endeavoring to obstruct a federal audit.
In the EV WorldWide case, Armitage and co-defendants were convicted of defrauding the Federal Transit Administration and Pioneer Valley Transit Authority. The charge are also connected to Armitage's failure to file a personal income tax for 13 years despite raking in millions through Power Development Co., an energy company he founded, and defrauding United Bank of West Springfield.
EV executive Christopher Willson was convicted in June and faces sentencing on Nov. 29.
Pittsfield Man Found Guilty Of Motor Vehicle Homicide
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Frank Zuber, 55, was sentenced by Judge John Agostini to three to five years in state prison at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction as the result of a December 7, 2010 accident in Pittsfield that killed 85-year-old Joseph Donahue.
The jury deliberated for about an hour and a half before finding returning the verdict.
Superior Court Briefs: November 1 - November 10
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Jon Gilmore, 21, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon.
Gilmore was sentenced to two years at the Berkshire County House of Correction. The sentence is concurrent with the time Gilmore is already serving on related charges.
The charges stem from an incident involving a 22-year-old man in Pittsfield on August 16, 2009.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, November 8
Richard St. Louis, 60, of North Dartmouth had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on five counts of indecent assault and batter on a person with intellectual disabilities, give counts of incident assault and batter on a disabled person, two counts of rape and single counts of indecent exposure, accosting a person of the opposite sex and intimidation of a witness.
St. Louis was released on personal recognizance.
The incidents allegedly occurred in Hancock between January 1, 2008 and September 16, 2011 and involved a 23-year-old female.
Marley Roraback, 21, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on her behalf on single counts of accessory after the fact - breaking and entering - and receiving stolen property over $250.
Roraback was released on personal recognizance. The charges stem from an incident in Pittsfield on Aug. 17.
Joseph Berry, 21, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on 23 counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, 20 counts of malicious destruction of personal property, seven counts of carrying a dangerous weapon, seven counts of illegal possession of a firearm, two counts of breaking into a depository, two counts of larceny and single counts of receiving or possessing a stolen motor vehicle, possession of burglarious tools, receiving stolen property over $250 and common and notorious thief.
Berry was released on personal recognizance. The charges stem from a series of break-ins between June 1 and Sept. 13.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Thursday, November 10
Kareem Wright, 33, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to a single counts of armed robbery while masked.
Wright was sentences to seven to eight years in state prison at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction. Wright robbed a clerk at O'Connell's Convenience Plus on Tyler Street on Oct. 27.
Ricky Reynolds, 27, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal possession of a firearm and single counts of possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in connection with a motor vehicle stop in Lenox on Aug. 10. He also pleaded guilty to single counts of illegal possession of a firearm, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, improper storage of a firearm and possession of ammunition without a firearm in connection to a June 24, 2010 incident in Pittsfield, when Reynolds shot himself in the leg.
Reynolds was sentenced to three to four years in state prison at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction on the illegal possession of a firearm charges and given concurrent sentences at the Berkshire County House of Corrections on the other charges.
Taequan Carter, 19, of Pittsfield was found guilty by a jury on one counts of assault and batter by means of a dangerous weapon. The jury found Carter not guilty on armed assault with intent to murder.
The jury found that Carter stabbed a 39-year-old man on July 29, 2010 in Pittsfield.
Carter was ordered to be held without bail at the Berkshire County House of Correction. Sentencing will occur on Monday, Nov. 14.
Scott Graham, 34, of Pittsfield had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on five counts of knowingly possessing visual material of a child depicted in sexual conduct.
Graham was released on personal recognizance. Graham was allegedly in possession of child pornography in Pittsfield on July 19, 2010.
David Clerc, 31, of Adams had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on five counts of knowingly possession visual material of a child depicted in sexual conduct.
Clerc was released on personal recognizance. Clerc was allegedly in possession of child pornography in Adams on January 25, 2010.
Tory Blanchard, 36, of Florida pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate drug laws.
Blanchard was sentenced to 30 days at the Berkshire County House of Correction. The incident occurred between November 1, 2010 and November 25, 2010.
