PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Pittsfield police officer has been fired for "multiple misconduct charges."
Officer Dale Eason, a 20-year veteran of the force, had been on leave since May after a scuffle with an elderly woman in her home last year.
A terse press release from Chief Michael Wynn said Eason had been terminated on Wednesday after a "lengthy internal investigation and a local civil service hearing."
Eason had arrested Phyllis Stankiewicz, 88, after he and another officer entered her home after being sent to the wrong address for a disturbance. A confused Stankiewicz had allegedly threatened them with a small paring knife and, when disarmed, had slapped Eason on the wrist. Eason then put her on the ground and arrested her. All charges against Stankiewicz were dropped.
"The City of Pittsfield and the Pittsfield Police Department take any and all acts of police misconduct by our personnel extremely seriously. Service as a police officer requires a high degree of public trust. On those rare occasions, as is the case here, that trust is violated, severe sanctions must be imposed," said Wynn in the statement.
The body was discovered in the lake Friday morning.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The body of a 63-year-old North Adams man was found in Windsor Lake.
Police say the body of Leszek Godyn of Arnold Place was discovered at 8 a.m. Friday morning.
The incident remains under investigation but the district attorney's office says it "does not appear to be suspicious at this time."
Police Director Michael Cozzaglio confirmed that police received a report at 7:48 a.m. from someone who said they saw a body lying in the water.
Police, EMS, and fire responded to the lake, where Godyn's body was found in the shallow water at the fishing area near the concession stand. Firefighters were able to remove him from the water.
"We're trying to determine what brought this person up to the lake and what happened," Cozzaglio said, adding again that it did not appear suspicious.
The investigation is being conducted by members of the North Adams Police Department, state police, and the district attorney's office.
The entrance of the lake was blocked Friday morning for more than an hour during the recovery.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Monday, August 29.
Rhianna Randall, 40, of Dalton pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and battery and a single count of disturbing the peace.
She was placed on two-years probation on the assault and battery charges. The other charge was placed on file.
Randall assaulted three youths - ages 17, 15, and 15, - on October 24, 2015.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Tuesday, August 30.
Patrick Coyne, 34, of Pittsfield pleaded guilty to single counts of armed career felon, illegal possession of a firearm - his second offense, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.
He was ordered to serve six to 10 years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction on the armed career felon charge. He was given concurrent five to six years at the Berkshire County House of Correction on the other charges.
Coyne was arrested in Pittsfield after multiple reports of shots fired in the area of Wahconah Street and Pecks Road on May 19, 2016.
Cases heard before Judge John Agostini on Wednesday, August 31.
Joevany Santiago, 25, of Springfield pleaded guilty to a single count of manufacturing cocaine.
He was ordered to serve 15 months at the Hampden County House of Correction. The charge stems form the execution of a search warrant at 86 West Main Street in North Adams on April 15, 2016.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Firefighters quickly knocked down fire in a storage area at a West Main Street apartment building on Thursday.
Fire Director Stephen Meranti said only one tenant was in the building and he was quickly evacuated.
Meranti said the Fire Department arrived at 75 West Main St around 2:30 p.m. after receiving a report of smoke coming out of a second-story window. It was initially described as a structure fire.
"The guys got on scene, and they saw smoke," he said. "We had smoke coming from the bedroom window on the second floor. ...
"The guys went in, found the tenant and escorted him out," he said. "He was OK. He was just trying to put the fire out with a portable extinguisher."
Meranti said a pre-connected hose was weaved through a room, a bedroom and into the storage room on the eastern side of the flat-iron building where the fire broke out. Firefighters tossed items out of the window to get to the fire.
"It was contained in that one room, and the stuff was not really that burned," he said. "We just had to get down to where it was burning."
Meranti said power had to be shut off to the apartment and to the one below it because water had to be used to extinguish the fire. He said an electrician will have to come in and inspect the apartments before the tenants can occupy them.
Meranti said all in all the fire was contained and knocked down quickly.
The guys did a good job," he said. "Early detection, quick response and aggressive interior attack. That is how you keep a small fire small."
He said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The road was closed from the east end of the Memorial Bridge to Brown Street for more than an hour.
North Adams Police and Ambulance were on scene as well as the Wire and Alarm Division and Berkshire Gas. The building is owned by Charles Swabey.
Meranti added that at the same time, there was a one-car accident on Pattison Road that resulted in no injuries. All off-duty firefighters were called in to assist.
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